Earthly hand 地和 · chiihou

Short answer: Chiihou is a 32,000-point yakuman for a non-dealer whose very first draw completes the hand, with no chii, pon, or kan made at the table before that draw.

A non-dealer completes their hand on their very first draw, before any call.

Value	Yakuman (closed hands only)
How often	very rare

The conditions are strict in a way that matters at the table: you are not the dealer, your very first draw completes the hand, and nobody has called chii, pon, or kan before that draw. One call anywhere at the table is enough to break it, even if your tiles were ready — the interruption ends the untouched first go-around the yaku depends on.

You cannot steer toward chiihou, so the useful habits sit next to it. Check your dealt thirteen tiles right away: if you are tenpai テンパイ from the start, your first draw might finish the hand, and when it does not, an immediate double riichi — provided no one has called before your first discard — turns the same luck into 2 han plus real pressure. Learners also mix this yaku up with its two neighbours: tenhou is the dealer's version, complete before any draw at all, while renhou covers a ron before your first draw, and its value and status vary by ruleset.

Key points

Non-dealer only; any call before your first draw cancels it
The non-dealer twin of tenhou
Like tenhou, pure luck — a lifetime event for most players

Worked example

Mahjong hand: 1 of characters, 2 of characters, 3 of characters — 4 of circles, 5 of circles, 6 of circles — 7 of bamboo, 8 of bamboo, 9 of bamboo — South wind, South wind — 3 of bamboo, 4 of bamboo, winning tile: 5 of bamboo — Dealt tenpai on 3s-4s (waiting on 2s or 5s); the first draw is the 5s.

Your thirteen starting tiles are already tenpai: 123m, 456p, 789s, a pair of South winds, and 34s. The dealer discards, nobody calls, and your very first draw is the 5s. You declare tsumo — chiihou.

As a non-dealer yakuman by self-draw, it pays 32,000: 16,000 from the dealer and 8,000 from each of the other two players. Had the dealer's first discard been a 2s or 5s, taking it by ron would not be chiihou — that is renhou, whose value and status vary by ruleset.

Common mistakes

Ignoring an earlier call. If anyone calls chii, pon, or kan before your first draw, even on a tile that has nothing to do with you, chiihou is off.
Discarding instead of checking. If the first draw does not win but you are tenpai, the right move is usually an immediate double riichi.
Expecting it as dealer. The dealer's version is tenhou, complete before any draw.

Related yaku

Heavenly hand 天和 — The dealer's starting fourteen tiles are already a complete hand.

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