How to Play Koi-Koi (Hanafuda): Rules, Yaku and Scoring
Koi-Koi is a two-player game played with the 48 cards of a hanafuda deck. Match cards by month, capture them, and form scoring combinations called yaku. This guide covers the rules used in Koi-Koi: Hanafuda Flower Cards.
The cards
A hanafuda deck has 12 months with 4 cards each. Cards fall into four kinds: 5 brights (hikari), 9 animals (tane), 10 ribbons (tan) and 24 plain cards (kasu).
Setup
Each player is dealt 8 cards, 8 cards are placed face up on the table, and the rest form the draw pile. The dealer plays first.
A turn
- Play one card from your hand. If a card of the same month is on the table, capture both. If two match, choose one; if three match, capture all four. If none match, the card stays on the table.
- Flip the top card of the draw pile and do the same.
- If you completed a new yaku, choose Shobu (take the points and end the round) or Koi-Koi (keep playing for more).
All yaku and their points
| Yaku | Cards | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Gokō (Five Brights) | All five bright cards | 10 |
| Shikō (Four Brights) | Four bright cards without the Rain Man | 8 |
| Ame-Shikō (Rainy Four Brights) | Four bright cards including the Rain Man | 7 |
| Sankō (Three Brights) | Three bright cards without the Rain Man | 6 |
| Hanami-zake (Cherry Viewing) | Cherry curtain + sake cup | 5 |
| Tsukimi-zake (Moon Viewing) | Moon + sake cup | 5 |
| Inoshikachō | Boar + deer + butterflies | 5 |
| Akatan & Aotan | All three red poetry ribbons + all three blue ribbons | 10 |
| Akatan | Three red poetry ribbons (pine, plum, cherry) | 5 |
| Aotan | Three blue ribbons (peony, chrysanthemum, maple) | 5 |
| Tane | Five animal cards, +1 per extra | 1+ |
| Tan | Five ribbon cards, +1 per extra | 1+ |
| Kasu | Ten plain cards, +1 per extra | 1+ |
Scores of 7 or more are doubled. If neither player makes a yaku, the round is a draw.
Koi-Koi or Shobu? Simple strategy
Take the points when you already have a strong score, when you are low on cards, or when your opponent is close to a yaku. Call Koi-Koi early in a round when your score is small and you still hold many cards.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in a hanafuda deck?
48 cards: 12 months with 4 cards each. Each month has a flower: pine, plum, cherry, wisteria, iris, peony, bush clover, pampas, chrysanthemum, maple, willow and paulownia.
What does Koi-Koi mean?
Koi-koi means "come on" or "keep going". When you complete a yaku you may call Koi-Koi to keep playing for more points, at the risk that your opponent makes a yaku first.
What is the difference between Shobu and Koi-Koi?
Shobu ends the round and scores your yaku. Koi-Koi continues the round and lets you improve your score, but if your opponent scores a yaku first you get nothing.
How are points scored?
Add the points of all your yaku. In this app a round score of 7 or more is doubled.