Principal accounting policies (Sales and Marketing Expenses, Share based Compensation, Statutory Reserves, Dividends and Segment Reporting - Narrative) (Details) ¥ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2015 CNY (¥) item	Dec. 31, 2014 CNY (¥)	Dec. 31, 2013 CNY (¥)
Sales and marketing expenses
Advertising and market promotion expenses	¥ 253,210	¥ 76,192	¥ 8,054
Employee social security and welfare benefits
Employee social security and welfare benefits	¥ 171,349	¥ 115,012	¥ 68,334
Statutory reserves [Line Item]
Minimum percentage appropriation to general reserve fund required	10.00%
Reserve level threshold for mandatory appropriation requirement (as a percent)	50.00%
Minimum percentage appropriation to statutory surplus fund required	10.00%
Surplus fund threshold for mandatory appropriation requirement (as a percent)	50.00%
Amount appropriated to statutory reserves
Dividends
Dividends declared	¥ 0	¥ 0	¥ 0
Segment reporting
Number of operating segments \| item	1
Statutory reserves [Member]
Statutory reserves [Line Item]
Amount appropriated to statutory reserves	¥ 38	¥ 15,812	¥ 40,657

The amount of the cost recognized during the period for defined contribution plans.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 715
-SubTopic 70
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=49170846&loc=d3e28014-114942

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedContributionPlanCostRecognized
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DividendsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of paid and unpaid common stock dividends declared with the form of settlement in cash, stock and payment-in-kind (PIK).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 505
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.3-04)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27012166&loc=d3e187085-122770

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 942
-SubTopic 405
-Section 45
-Paragraph 2
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6957935&loc=d3e64057-112817

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DividendsCommonStock
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The total expense recognized in the period for promotion, public relations, and brand or product advertising.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 225
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (SX 210.5-03.4)
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26872669&loc=d3e20235-122688

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_MarketingAndAdvertisingExpense
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number of operating segments. An operating segment is a component of an enterprise: (a) that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses (including revenues and expenses relating to transactions with other components of the same enterprise), (b) whose operating results are regularly reviewed by the enterprise's chief operating decision maker to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, and (c) for which discrete financial information is available. An operating segment may engage in business activities for which it has yet to earn revenues, for example, start-up operations may be operating segments before earning revenues.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_NumberOfOperatingSegments
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SegmentReportingDisclosureOfEntitysReportableSegmentsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_SellingAndMarketingExpenseAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents Statutory reserves appropriated during the period.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_AmountTransferredTowardsStatutoryReserves
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the minimum percentage of after-tax profit required to be appropriated towards the general reserve fund for the entity's subsidiaries registered as wholly-owned foreign enterprises until the reserve balance reaches 50 percent of registered capital.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_AppropriationOfAfterTaxProfitToGeneralReserveFundRequiredPercentageMinimum
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the minimum percentage of after-tax profit required to be appropriated towards the statutory surplus fund for the entities incorporated in the People's Republic Of China until the reserve balance reaches 50 percent of registered capital.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_AppropriationOfAfterTaxProfitToStatutorySurplusFundRequiredPercentageMinimum
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_EmployeeSocialSecurityAndWelfareBenefitsAbstract
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_PrincipalAccountingPoliciesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Represents the level of the general reserve fund balance as a percentage of registered capital for the entity''s subsidiaries and the VIEs and VIE''s subsidiary in the PRC, which must be attained before mandatory transfers to the reserve are no longer required.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_ReserveLevelThresholdForMandatoryTransferPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Represents the level of the statutory surplus fund balance as a percentage of registered capital for the entities incorporated in the People's Republic of China, which must be attained before mandatory transfers to the fund are no longer required.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	yy_SurplusFundThresholdForMandatoryTransferPercentage
Namespace Prefix:	yy_
Data Type:	num:percentItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_StatementEquityComponentsAxis=us-gaap_RetainedEarningsAppropriatedMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: