Tsuki Narabe [月ならべ, ‘month line-up’] is a simple draw-and-discard Hanafuda game for 3-4 players, designed to make players more familiar with the hanafuda month sequence.
This game requires familiarity with the sequence of the months.
# | Month | Icon | Flower |
---|---|---|---|
1 | January | ![]() |
Pine |
2 | February | ![]() |
Plum Blossom |
3 | March | ![]() |
Cherry Blossom |
4 | April | ![]() |
Wisteria |
5 | May | ![]() |
Iris |
6 | June | ![]() |
Peony |
7 | July | ![]() |
Bush Clover |
8 | August | ![]() |
Susuki Grass |
9 | September | ![]() |
Chrysanthemum |
10 | October | ![]() |
Maple |
11 | November | ![]() |
Willow |
12 | December | ![]() |
Paulownia |
All 48 cards of hanafuda are used.
The goal is for a player to have 5 cards in hand whose month numbers are in sequential order.
The month sequence loops: A december card may be followed by a January card. (Example: November, December, January, February, March)
Decide first who will be the dealer using any method you prefer.
Dealer shuffles and deals 4 cards to each player. The rest of the deck is placed face-down on the table as the draw pile.
Starting with the dealer counter-clockwise, each player draws a card from the draw pile and adds it to their hand. Then the player discards a card from their hand which they do not need. Turn passes to the next player.
Once a player has 4 cards in month sequence (example: May, June, July, August), then the player continues their turns as normal until they could draw a card that completes the month sequence (regarding the previous example, this would either be an April or a September card). When they do, they reveal their hand to other players and declare victory.