American Riichi Association

The American Riichi Association (ARA) is an organization helping to coordinate and promote riichi mahjong in the US. On the ARA website, you can find information on upcoming tournaments and a map of registered clubs around the country, among other things relevant to the US riichi community.

Terminology lists

Riichi mahjong is a game with a significant amount of terminology to learn. American players tend to use English and Japanese terminology interchangeably, though more experienced players tend to use Japanese terminology more heavily, as it is often more succinct and precise than the translated terms. A list of common terms can be found on the riichi wiki, and a more extensive list can be found on the mahjong-ny website.

The Mahjong Guide

A site called the Mahjong Guide has a page named A Beginner’s Guide to Riichi Mahjong which covers some of the same topics as the About Riichi page on this site. There are also a series of posts called Mahjong Fundamentals which give a beginner-level introduction to important concepts such as 5 block theory and defensive techniques.

Riichi Book 1

Written by Daina Chiba as a guide to help European riichi players strengthen their fundamentals, Riichi Book 1 is the most frequently recommended resource for beginner players. If you don’t plan on playing on Tenhou.net, skip the first two chapters and start on chapter 3. While not the be-all and end-all of riichi strategy, most players agree that RB1 covers the basics of the game that every player should (eventually) be familiar with.

Efficiency trainer

The efficiency trainer is a browser application that tests your ability to make decisions that allow you to reach tenpai in the fewest number of turns. This program is useful for building an intuition for tile efficiency, but note that efficiency is only one of several considerations when it comes to riichi skill and strategy.

Riichi Scoring Trainer

Brought to you courtesy of reddit user Varantha, Riichi Scoring Trainer is a handy tool to help you practice counting fu and han and quiz yourself on how many points each hand is worth.

More advanced resources

Resources beyond those listed here, for intermediate-level and seasoned players, are out there! Join us and ask about resources in the discord server to learn more.