How to Play Koi-Koi: Complete Rules, All Yaku & Scoring Guide
Koi-Koi in 30 seconds
Koi-Koi is a two-player game played with the 48-card Hanafuda deck. On each turn you match cards by month, capture pairs into your pile, and build yaku—scoring combinations such as animals, ribbons, or brights. When a yaku completes, you either stop to bank your points or call "koi-koi" to keep playing for a bigger score, knowing your opponent could end the round first. Play your first game now
Hanafuda (花札), or "flower cards," is a traditional Japanese deck consisting of 48 cards. Unlike Western decks, these are divided into 12 suits, each representing a month of the year and a specific flower.
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How do you play a round of Hanafuda Koi-Koi?
Each player gets 8 cards; 8 are placed face-up on the table. On your turn, play one card from your hand to match a card of the same month on the field, or add it to the field. Then draw a card and match or add it. The cards you capture form yaku (scoring combinations). Rounds continue until a player ends with a yaku or the deck is empty.
- The Deal: Each player receives 8 cards, and 8 cards are placed face-up on the table (the field).
- Matching: On your turn, match a card from your hand with a card of the same month/flower on the field.
- The Draw: Draw one card from the deck. If it matches a card on the field, you take that pair as well.
- Building Yaku: The cards you collect are used to form Yaku (scoring combinations).
A turn in action
Three beats of a single turn from Hanafuda Legends.
What are the winning Yaku combinations in Hanafuda?
Yaku are scoring combinations of captured cards. The main ones are Goko (five Bright cards, 20 points), Ino-shika-cho (Boar, Deer, Butterfly, 5 points), Akatan (three red poetry ribbons, 5 points), Tane (five or more animal cards), and Kasu (10 or more chaff cards). Hover over a yaku name in the list below to see the cards.
- Goko (Five Lights): The most powerful hand. Collect all five "Bright" cards (20 points).
- Ino-shika-cho (Boar, Deer, Butterfly): Collect these three specific animal cards (5 points).
- Akatan (Red Poetry Ribbons): Collect the three red ribbons with writing on them (5 points).
- Tane (Seeds): Collect any 5 "Animal" or "Object" cards (1 point, +1 for each extra).
- Kasu (Chaff): Collect 10 "Normal" cards (1 point, +1 for each extra).
Yaku Cheat Sheet
Scoring example
Here is a concrete captured pile and how Hanafuda Legends adds the points (before round multipliers).
Example 1 — six points before multipliers
Suppose your captures include the Boar (July), Deer (October), and Butterfly (June) for Ino-shika-cho, plus the Bush Warbler (February) and Wild Geese (August), and three chaff cards.
- Ino-shika-cho (Boar + Deer + Butterfly): 5 points
- Tane (exactly five animal cards): 1 point
- Total before multipliers: 6 points
Example 2 — seven-plus and koi-koi stacking
Keep the same cards and add two more animal cards (seven animals in total). In Hanafuda Legends, Tane scores 1 point for five animals plus 1 point for each extra animal.
- Tane with seven animal cards: 3 points
- Ino-shika-cho: 5 points
- Base total: 8 points
- Seven-point rule: 8 × 2 = 16 points
- If your opponent had called koi-koi earlier: 16 × 2 = 32 points
Multipliers apply in this order in-game: add all yaku, then apply the 7+ doubling and any koi-koi doubling together.
Did you know?
Ino-shika-cho (Boar, Deer, Butterfly) is completed in only about 8% of Hanafuda Legends matches. Goko (Five Lights) appears in fewer than 2% of rounds. Most wins come from combinations of Tane, Kasu, and ribbon yaku.
How are Hanafuda cards organized by month?
The Hanafuda deck has 12 suits, one per month (January through December). Each month has exactly 4 cards: typically one Bright or special card, one Animal or Ribbon, and two Chaff cards depending on the month. You match and capture cards by month (suit), not by numeric value.
1. Pine
2. Plum
3. Cherry
4. Wisteria
5. Iris
6. Peony
7. Clover
8. Grass
9. Chrysanthemum
10. Maple
11. Willow
12. Paulownia
What is the Koi-Koi decision?
When you form a yaku, you must choose: stop (Agari) to bank your points and end the round, or call "Koi-Koi" to keep playing for more points. If you call Koi-Koi and your opponent scores before you do, they win the round and you risk losing your points.
Options:
- STOP: End the round and take your points.
- KOI-KOI: Continue the round to try for more points. Warning: If your opponent forms a Yaku before you score again, they win the round and you get zero!
What are the special rules and automatic wins in Koi-Koi?
Some hands win instantly after the deal (Teyaku). Teshi is four cards of the same month in hand. Kuttsuki is four pairs in hand. If the field has four of one month face-up at the start, the round is void and the deal is reshuffled. These rules vary by house.
Details:
Teshi (Hand of Four)
If you are dealt 4 cards of the same suit in your starting hand, you win the round automatically (usually 6 points).
Kuttsuki (Sticky Hand)
If you are dealt 4 pairs of cards (e.g., two Jan, two Feb, two Mar, two Apr), you win the round automatically (usually 6 points).
The Field Void Rule
If 4 cards of the same month are dealt face-up on the field at the start, the round is voided and the cards must be reshuffled.
What is the Sake Cup advantage in Koi-Koi?
The Chrysanthemum with Sake Cup (September) is the most versatile card. In many rules it counts as both a Tane (animal) and a Kasu (chaff), so it helps multiple yaku. It is also the key card for Moon Viewing and Cherry Blossom Viewing combinations.
Dual Role: In many rule variations, it can count as both a Tane (Animal/Seed) card AND a Kasu (Chaff) card simultaneously.
Key Combo: It is the centerpiece for the Tsukimi-de-Ippaku (Moon-viewing) and Hanami-de-Ippaku (Flower-viewing) Yaku.
Hanafuda & Koi-Koi Glossary
Key terms for reading the guide and playing Koi-Koi. Each definition is written in a direct-answer format for clarity and for Featured Snippets and AI Overviews.
Hanafuda Mechanics & Card Types
Gameplay & Scoring Terminology
Seasonal Significance
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