Dora are bonus tiles in Riichi mahjong. Each dora in your winning hand adds 1 han. To find it, look at the face-up tile in the dead wall, called the indicator. The dora is the next tile in sequence. A 3 indicator means the 4 is dora. Dora does not count as a yaku, so you still need at least one real pattern to win. Red fives are extra dora used in some rule sets.
Reading the indicator
The dora is always the tile after the indicator.
Suited tiles go up by one, and wrap from 9 to 1.
Winds go in order: East, South, West, North, then back to East.
Dragons go in order: White, Green, Red, then back to White.
| Indicator | Dora |
|---|---|
| 3 of any suit | 4 of that suit |
| 9 of any suit | 1 of that suit |
| East | South |
| North | East |
| White Dragon | Green Dragon |
| Green Dragon | Red Dragon |
| Red Dragon | White Dragon |
How dora adds up
Every copy counts. If the Four Dot is dora and you hold three in your winning hand, that adds 3 han. Dora also counts if it appears in called sets.
Here is an example. The indicator is the Three Dot, so the Four Dot is dora:
Extra dora
- Kan dora. When someone declares a kan, another indicator is revealed. That can add more bonus tiles for everyone.
- Ura dora. If you win after declaring riichi, you also check the tile under each indicator. These give extra dora, but only for a player who won with riichi.
Red fives
Many Japanese and online games replace some fives with red fives. Each red five in your hand is a dora. It works normally as a five otherwise.
The rule set decides how many there are. A common setup has one red five in each suit. The European Mahjong Association’s 2016 rules leave them out, so the examples on this site do not rely on them. Check before you play.
Dora and strategy
- Keep dora tiles when you can, since they raise the value of your hand.
- Beware when you discard dora, since it may help someone else win more.
- A player who calls sets that use dora may have a costly hand.
Common beginner mistakes
- Taking the indicator for the dora. The dora is the next tile, not the one you can see.
- Thinking dora is a yaku. A hand with only dora cannot win.
- Forgetting that dragons and winds cycle. After North comes East. After Red comes White.
- Forgetting to check at all. Look at the indicator as soon as the hand begins.