yaku

See also: yakuʔ, yākù, and Yaku

English

A triplet of red dragons, a common yaku in mahjong.

Boar-deer-butterflies, a common three-card yaku in hanafuda card games from Japan.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 役 (yaku).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjɑː.kuː/
• Rhymes: -ɑːkuː

Noun

yaku (plural yaku or yakus)

1. (Japanese mahjong, hanafuda) A condition that scores points when met, usually in the form of a specific combination of tiles or cards.
   • 1892, Rossetsu Uchiyama, The Game of "Hana-awase": Japanese Cards‎^[1], page 10:

     There are certain combinations of hands called “Yaku,” which, if held by a player, either among his tricks or in his hand, entitle him to certain payments from the other players.

   • 2006, Israel A. S. Yost, “On the Border” (chapter 11), in Combat Chaplain: The Personal Story of the WWII Chaplain of the Japanese American 100th Battalion, University of Hawaii Press, →ISBN, page 215:

     It's a lot of fun for me as I'm just getting to know all the combinations (of three cards each) for yaku, which means the other fellow must subtract 50 from his score.

   • 2012, Jelte Rep, “Chapter 5: Japan”, in Jelte Rep, transl., Great Mahjong Book: History, Lore, and Play, Tuttle Publishing, →ISBN, page 112:

     Yakus determine whether you can make a mahjong.

   • 2015, Ritz Kobayashi, “Encounter” (chapter 1), in anonymous translator, Saki, volume 1, Yen Press, →ISBN, page 9:

     I'm still learning all the yaku though!

   • 2015, Scott D. Miller, “Hand Pattern Overview”, in Riichi Mahjong: The Ultimate Guide to the Japanese Game Taking the World by Storm, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 104:

     Of course, since the hand is open, it doesn't earn the 1-han yaku for a true Pinfu hand.

   • 2017, Jason Johnson & Antonietta Fazio-Johnson, “Matching Flowers” (chapter 5), in Hanafuda Games: Hanami Edition, IndianWolf Studios LLC, →ISBN, page 29:

     The wisteria ribbon is used in two yaku sets. This is allowed because a player may use the same card to score from more than one yaku category.

   • 2017, Akiko Higashimura, “Translation Notes”, in anonymous translator, Princess Jellyfish 6, Kodansha Comics, →ISBN, page 349:

     The particular hanafuda game they're playing here is called Koi-Koi, and Banba just called the name of the game to keep going for another yaku card combination beyond whatever yaku she already formed.

   • 2018, Koya Ihara, Shohei Kato, “Neuro-Evolutionary Approach to Multi-objective Optimization in One-Player Mahjong”, in Advances in Network-Based Information Systems, Springer International Publishing, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 501:

     To earn a high score and therefore complete yaku with a high rate, we expect that inputting features regarding these yaku into the networks will improve average scores.

   • 2020 February 26, KML Competition Rules‎^[2], Korean Mahjong League, archived from the original on 17 July 2025, 2.5.2 Mahjong on Self-Draw (tsumo):

     If the player did not keep the winning tile apart from the rest of the hand (if other players cannot see which was the winning tile), the lowest yaku and fu which can be calculated from that hand are applied.

Usage notes

In Japanese mahjong specifically (including Korean variants), having one or more yaku is a win condition, so anything that can fulfil that condition is considered a yaku. This includes conditions that have nothing to do with the types of tiles that one has, such as making a riichi bet, or completing one's hand with the very last discarded tile.

Synonyms

• (mahjong) pattern
• (hanafuda) meld

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:
  • Cantonese: 役 (yue) (jik⁶)
  • Mandarin: 役 (zh) (yì)
• Japanese: 役 (ja) (yaku)
• Korean: 족보 (ko) (jokbo), (mahjong) 역(役) (ko) (yeok), (hanafuda) 약 (ko) (yak)
• Palauan: (hanafuda) yak
• Polish: yaku (pl) n

Bakumpai

Pronoun

yaku

1. I

Banggai

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja.ku/

Pronoun

yaku

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)

Japanese

Romanization

yaku

1. Rōmaji transcription of やく
2. Rōmaji transcription of ヤク

Kapampangan

Alternative forms

• aku
• iaku
• i aku
• ako
• yako

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *si and Proto-Philippine *ʔakúʔ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjaku/ [ˈjäː.xu]
• Hyphenation: a‧ku

Pronoun

yaku

1. First-person singular absolutive independent pronoun; I, me

Derived terms

• yaku-yaku

See also

Kapampangan personal pronouns

		absolute		ergative	oblique
		disjunctive	enclitic
first person	singular	aku/i aku/yaku	ku		kanaku
	plural inclusive	ikatamu	katamu/tamu	tamu/ta	kekatamu
	plural exclusive	ikami, ike	kami/ke	mi	kekami/keke
second person	singular	ika	ka	mu	keka
	plural	ikayu/iko	kayu/ko	yu	kekayu/keko
third person	singular	iya/ya	ya	na	keya/kaya
	plural	ila	la	da/ra	karela

Lindu

Pronoun

yaku

1. I; me

Ngaju

Pronoun

yaku

1. I

Padoe

Alternative forms

• jaku

Etymology

From Proto-Bungku-Tolaki *ku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

yaku

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

Pazeh

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

yaku

1. I

See also

Pazeh personal pronouns

				neutral	nominative	genitive	locative
singular	1st person			yaku	aku	naki	yaku(n)an
	2nd person			isiw	siw	nisiw	isiwan
	3rd person	proximal		imini	mini	nimini	iminian
		medium		imisiw	misiw	nimisiw	misiwan
		distal		isia	sia	nisia	isiaan
plural	1st person		inclusive	ita	ta	nita (ta-)	itaan
	1st person		exclusive	yami	ami	nyam(i)	yami(n)an
	2nd person			imu	mu	nimu	imuan
	3rd person	proximal		yamini	amini	naamini	yaminian
		medium		yamisiw	amisiw	naamisiw	yamisiwan
		distal		yasia	asia	naasia	yasiaan

Quechua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈja.kʊ/

Noun

yaku

1. water

   Synonym: unu

   • 2012, Languages of the Amazon, →ISBN:

     chay-chru lurin yaku-kuna-si llalla-ku-n-mi

     that-LOC Lurin water-PL-also be.salty-REF-3-DIR.EV

     Even the water around Lurin is salty. [I know because I tasted it.]

Declension

Declension of yaku

	singular	plural
nominative	yaku	yakukuna
accusative	yakuta	yakukunata
dative	yakuman	yakukunaman
genitive	yakup	yakukunap
locative	yakupi	yakukunapi
terminative	yakukama	yakukunakama
ablative	yakumanta	yakukunamanta
instrumental	yakuwan	yakukunawan
comitative	yakuntin	yakukunantin
abessive	yakunnaq	yakukunannaq
comparative	yakuhina	yakukunahina
causative	yakurayku	yakukunarayku
benefactive	yakupaq	yakukunapaq
associative	yakupura	yakukunapura
distributive	yakunka	yakukunanka
exclusive	yakulla	yakukunalla

Possessive forms of yaku

ñuqap - first-person singular ñuqap (my) singular plural nominative yakuy yakuykuna accusative yakuyta yakuykunata dative yakuyman yakuykunaman genitive yakuypa yakuykunap locative yakuypi yakuykunapi terminative yakuykama yakuykunakama ablative yakuymanta yakuykunamanta instrumental yakuywan yakuykunawan comitative yakuynintin yakuykunantin abessive yakuyninnaq yakuykunannaq comparative yakuyhina yakuykunahina causative yakuyrayku yakuykunarayku benefactive yakuypaq yakuykunapaq associative yakuypura yakuykunapura distributive yakuyninka yakuykunanka exclusive yakuylla yakuykunalla qampa - second-person singular qampa (your) singular plural nominative yakuyki yakuykikuna accusative yakuykita yakuykikunata dative yakuykiman yakuykikunaman genitive yakuykipa yakuykikunap locative yakuykipi yakuykikunapi terminative yakuykikama yakuykikunakama ablative yakuykimanta yakuykikunamanta instrumental yakuykiwan yakuykikunawan comitative yakuykintin yakuykikunantin abessive yakuykinnaq yakuykikunannaq comparative yakuykihina yakuykikunahina causative yakuykirayku yakuykikunarayku benefactive yakuykipaq yakuykikunapaq associative yakuykipura yakuykikunapura distributive yakuykinka yakuykikunanka exclusive yakuykilla yakuykikunalla paypa - third-person singular paypa (his/her/its) singular plural nominative yakun yakunkuna accusative yakunta yakunkunata dative yakunman yakunkunaman genitive yakunpa yakunkunap locative yakunpi yakunkunapi terminative yakunkama yakunkunakama ablative yakunmanta yakunkunamanta instrumental yakunwan yakunkunawan comitative yakunintin yakunkunantin abessive yakunninnaq yakunkunannaq comparative yakunhina yakunkunahina causative yakunrayku yakunkunarayku benefactive yakunpaq yakunkunapaq associative yakunpura yakunkunapura distributive yakuninka yakunkunanka exclusive yakunlla yakunkunalla ñuqanchikpa - first-person inclusive plural ñuqanchikpa (our(incl)) singular plural nominative yakunchik yakunchikkuna accusative yakunchikta yakunchikkunata dative yakunchikman yakunchikkunaman genitive yakunchikpa yakunchikkunap locative yakunchikpi yakunchikkunapi terminative yakunchikkama yakunchikkunakama ablative yakunchikmanta yakunchikkunamanta instrumental yakunchikwan yakunchikkunawan comitative yakunchiknintin yakunchikkunantin abessive yakunchikninnaq yakunchikkunannaq comparative yakunchikhina yakunchikkunahina causative yakunchikrayku yakunchikkunarayku benefactive yakunchikpaq yakunchikkunapaq associative yakunchikpura yakunchikkunapura distributive yakunchikninka yakunchikkunanka exclusive yakunchiklla yakunchikkunalla ñuqaykup - first-person exclusive plural ñuqaykup (our(excl)) singular plural nominative yakuyku yakuykukuna accusative yakuykuta yakuykukunata dative yakuykuman yakuykukunaman genitive yakuykupa yakuykukunap locative yakuykupi yakuykukunapi terminative yakuykukama yakuykukunakama ablative yakuykumanta yakuykukunamanta instrumental yakuykuwan yakuykukunawan comitative yakuykuntin yakuykukunantin abessive yakuykunnaq yakuykukunannaq comparative yakuykuhina yakuykukunahina causative yakuykurayku yakuykukunarayku benefactive yakuykupaq yakuykukunapaq associative yakuykupura yakuykukunapura distributive yakuykunka yakuykukunanka exclusive yakuykulla yakuykukunalla qamkunap - second-person plural qamkunap (your(pl)) singular plural nominative yakuykichik yakuykichikkuna accusative yakuykichikta yakuykichikkunata dative yakuykichikman yakuykichikkunaman genitive yakuykichikpa yakuykichikkunap locative yakuykichikpi yakuykichikkunapi terminative yakuykichikkama yakuykichikkunakama ablative yakuykichikmanta yakuykichikkunamanta instrumental yakuykichikwan yakuykichikkunawan comitative yakuykichiknintin yakuykichikkunantin abessive yakuykichikninnaq yakuykichikkunannaq comparative yakuykichikhina yakuykichikkunahina causative yakuykichikrayku yakuykichikkunarayku benefactive yakuykichikpaq yakuykichikkunapaq associative yakuykichikpura yakuykichikkunapura distributive yakuykichikninka yakuykichikkunanka exclusive yakuykichiklla yakuykichikkunalla paykunap - third-person plural paykunap (their) singular plural nominative yakunku yakunkukuna accusative yakunkuta yakunkukunata dative yakunkuman yakunkukunaman genitive yakunkupa yakunkukunap locative yakunkupi yakunkukunapi terminative yakunkukama yakunkukunakama ablative yakunkumanta yakunkukunamanta instrumental yakunkuwan yakunkukunawan comitative yakunkuntin yakunkukunantin abessive yakunkunnaq yakunkukunannaq comparative yakunkuhina yakunkukunahina causative yakunkurayku yakunkukunarayku benefactive yakunkupaq yakunkukunapaq associative yakunkupura yakunkukunapura distributive yakunkunka yakunkukunanka exclusive yakunkulla yakunkukunalla

Derived terms

• misk'i yaku
• q’uñi yaku
• yaku t'impuchina

Thao

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

yaku

1. I (personal pronoun)

See also

Thao personal pronouns

				nominative	oblique	possessive
singular	1st person			yaku	yakin	nak
	2nd person			ihu	ihun	mihu
	3rd person			thithu	thithun	thithu
plural	1st person		inclusive	ita	itan	mita
	1st person		exclusive	yamin	yamin	yamin
	2rd person			maniun	maniun	maniun
	3rd person			thaythuy	thaythuy	thaythuy

Totoli

Pronoun

yaku

1. alternative form of aku

Yámana

Noun

yaku

1. wood