1 han · closed only
Pinfu
No-points hand. A closed hand of four sequences that wins on a two-sided wait.
Closed1 hanOpenNot allowedHow oftenCommon
How Pinfu works
All four sets are sequences (runs like 3-4-5), never triplets.
The pair can't be worth anything: no dragons, not your seat wind, not the round wind.
The last tile must complete a two-sided wait (ryanmen), like 4-5 waiting on 3 or 6. Edge (1-2 waiting on 3), middle (4-6 waiting on 5) and pair waits don't count.
Example hand
Hand
Ron
Pinfu 11 han 30 fu · 1,000non-dealer ron
Scored by the same engine that runs the game: seat South, round East, no dora. Try your own in the hand calculator.
Good to know
- Named for having no fu besides the base: it's always 30 fu on ron and 20 fu on tsumo.
- If a hand can be read more than one way, the game picks whichever reading scores highest, so a wait that could be ryanmen often still gets pinfu.
- Combines well with riichi, tanyao, iipeikou and sanshoku.
TipPinfu, tanyao and riichi often come together. Aim for sequences and two-sided waits early in the hand.
Quick answers
How many han is Pinfu?
Pinfu is worth 1 han and needs a closed hand.
Can Pinfu be open?
No. Pinfu only counts with a closed hand: no chi, pon or open kan.
How common is Pinfu?
Common. A closed hand of four sequences that wins on a two-sided wait.