Pinfu (平和)
All chows + non-yakuhai pair + two-sided wait + closed hand.
How Pinfu (平和) works
A fully concealed hand made of four chows (runs), a pair that scores no points, and a final two-sided wait. It is the 'no-points' hand whose shape grants no fu beyond the base.
Pinfu requires the hand to contain only sequences, a non-yakuhai pair (not a dragon, not the round or seat wind), and a winning wait that is open on both ends (ryanmen). Because every component avoids awarding fu, the hand qualifies for this purely structural yaku. It stacks naturally with iipeikou, tanyao, the suit flushes, and riichi, and is one of the most common building blocks of a cheap closed hand.
- •Closed hand only; any called set disqualifies it since melds and triplets generate fu.
- •The wait must be two-sided — a closed wait, edge wait, or pair wait breaks pinfu.
- •The pair cannot be a yakuhai; a value-honor pair would add fu and void the pattern.
Pinfu (平和) — FAQ
Can I have pinfu and tsumo together?
Yes. A concealed self-draw normally adds fu, but with pinfu that tsumo fu is waived, and the menzen tsumo yaku still applies as a separate han.
Does a triplet ever count toward pinfu?
No. Any triplet, concealed or melded, awards fu and immediately disqualifies the hand from pinfu.