Counted yakuman 数え役満 · kazoe yakuman
Short answer: Kazoe yakuman is not a pattern but a threshold: a hand that adds up to 13 or more han from regular yaku and dora is paid as a yakuman — where the table plays that rule.
A hand that reaches 13 or more han through sheer accumulation is scored as a yakuman.
| Value | Yakuman (13+ han, open or closed) |
|---|---|
| How often | very rare |
Counted yakuman hands are assembled, not found. The realistic route runs through a full flush or half flush loaded with dora ドラ: riichi adds ura dora chances, each kan adds an indicator, and red fives count where the table uses them. Once a 6-han base meets a deep dora pocket, the total climbs fast. The ladder is on the score table — 11 and 12 han make a sanbaiman, and from 13 the hand is scored as a yakuman.
The counting trips people up in two ways. First, dora are not yaku: a hand carrying a pile of dora but no yaku cannot win at all, so the base must come from real yaku — see why every hand needs one. Second, the threshold is not universal. Some rulesets cap accumulated hands at sanbaiman no matter how high the count climbs, so if a monster hand is forming, confirm which rule your table plays before you count your payout.
Key points
- Not a pattern — a scoring threshold: 13+ han from stacked yaku and dora
- Typically built from riichi + honitsu/chinitsu structures drowning in dora
- Some rulesets cap accumulation at sanbaiman instead — check the table's rules
Worked example
Take a closed all-characters hand — 123m, 456m, 789m, 55m, 67m — with riichi declared, and draw the 8m. Count: chinitsu 6, ittsu 2, pinfu 1, riichi 1, menzen tsumo 1 — 11 han, a sanbaiman. Now let the dora indicator be the 7m, so every 8m is dora: the hand holds two. That is 13 han.
Where kazoe yakuman is played, 13 han by self-draw pays like any non-dealer yakuman: 8,000 from each non-dealer and 16,000 from the dealer, 32,000 in total. Where accumulated han are capped at sanbaiman, the same hand pays 24,000 (6,000 and 12,000).
Common mistakes
- Counting dora as a yaku. A hand needs a real yaku before dora count at all; a pile of dora with no yaku cannot win — see winning a hand.
- Assuming the rule is universal. Some rulesets cap at sanbaiman; confirm before a monster hand forms.
- Stopping the count early. Walk the list — yaku, then dora, red fives, and ura dora — before you announce the price.
WRC 2025 pays 13 or more han at the yakuman value (it names the tier yonbaiman, and it does not stack with real yakuman). EMA 2025 caps counted hands at sanbaiman.
Related yaku
- Full flush 清一色 — The entire hand is one suit — the highest-value regular yaku in the game.
- Riichi 立直 — Declare that you are one tile from winning, with a closed hand, by betting a 1,000-point stick.
← All yaku · New here? Learn why every hand needs a yaku or check what this hand pays with the score calculator.