What is furiten in mahjong?

Furiten means one of your winning tiles is in your own discard pile, so you cannot win on a discard (ron) — you can still win by self-draw (tsumo).

Is furiten permanent?

Only if you discarded the tile while already tenpai. If you were not tenpai, the furiten is temporary and clears when your hand changes shape.

Can you be furiten without discarding a winning tile?

Yes — passing on another player's discard that would have won the hand puts you in furiten until your next draw.

Furiten in Riichi Mahjong: The Rule Every Player Gets Wrong

What furiten is, why it exists, temporary vs permanent furiten, self-draw furiten, and how to avoid it.

What furiten means

Furiten (振听) is the riichi rule that blocks you from winning on a discard. If any tile that would complete your hand is in your own discard pile, you may not declare ron — you can still win by self-draw (tsumo).

It exists to stop a cheap exploit: without it, a player could discard a tile and then instantly win on the same tile from the next player.

Temporary vs permanent furiten

If your hand is already tenpai when you make the offending discard, you are in permanent furiten for the whole hand. If you discard the tile while not tenpai, the furiten is temporary — it clears as soon as your hand changes and you reach a different tenpai shape.

In practice, temporary furiten is the common case: you threw a tile earlier, then your hand evolved. The UI badge on this site shows "Furiten" when your current waits include a discarded tile.

Self-draw furiten (the sneaky one)

You can also be furiten without ever discarding a winning tile: if you pass on another player's discard that would have won the hand, you are in furiten until your next draw.

This is the most missed rule. Declining a win because you wanted a bigger one, or because you were not paying attention, locks you out of ron for the rest of the round.

How to avoid furiten

Before every discard, scan your waiting tiles against your discard pile. If you are tenpai and a waiting tile is already in your pile, you have three choices: switch to a different wait, declare riichi anyway (your hand is locked and you accept tsumo-only), or stay tenpai and rely on self-draw.

During play, the safest habit is to avoid throwing tiles you are likely to need later — but when you must, at least know the furiten consequence.

Common misconceptions

Furiten does not stop you from winning by tsumo. It does not apply to open hands' waits in the same way on this site — it is checked for concealed tenpai hands. And it is not a penalty: you can keep playing and winning normally except for ron.

Knowing furiten well is a free edge — many casual players lose hands they could have won, or worse, declare ron illegally and get penalized.

FAQ

What is furiten in mahjong?: Furiten means one of your winning tiles is in your own discard pile, so you cannot win on a discard (ron) — you can still win by self-draw (tsumo).
Is furiten permanent?: Only if you discarded the tile while already tenpai. If you were not tenpai, the furiten is temporary and clears when your hand changes shape.
Can you be furiten without discarding a winning tile?: Yes — passing on another player's discard that would have won the hand puts you in furiten until your next draw.