WRC Releases Official Yaku Reference Guide

A new printable WRC yaku reference guide has been made available on the WRC website!

Last year WRC capitalized on the introduction of Doman Mahjong in the massive multiplayer online game, Final Fantasy XIV, by kicking out a hand reference for new players. That quick reference, aimed at newcomers unfamiliar with the idiosyncratic terms used in Riichi, clearly served as a template for this new one.

There are some notable differences, though. First, Kanji has been added alongside the English and romaji titles for yaku in order to make the guide more versatile across language barriers.

This yaku sheet also gives us a peek at changes we can expect to see in the next revision of the official WRC rules. While the hands haven’t changed, some of the terminology has. “Sequence” now stands where “chii” once did. “Triplets” and “quads” have replaced “pon” and “kan”. “Common” and “perfect” are also appearing where “half-” and”full-” once did, on a flush for example.

I hope that this Yaku sheet will prove to be a reference for those teaching and those entering riichi for the first time. We’ve worked with several professionals inside and outside of mahjong to create a logical and helpful tool for learners, and an aid to communication across languages.

Gemma Sakamoto (WRC)

While this reference is fully compatible with WRC, it should be noted that it is for reference only. Gemma added, “The rules document is, of course, the definitive document within competitive games.”