Self-Drawn Win (自摸) — 1 Faan
Self-Draw adds 1 faan — you complete your winning hand by drawing the final tile from the wall yourself, rather than taking a discard.
What it is
Self-Draw (自摸, "zi mo") is not a hand pattern but a scoring modifier: whatever your hand’s composition, drawing the winning tile yourself adds 1 faan. It contrasts with winning off a discard (出銃).
How to form it
You can’t build toward a self-draw, but you can improve the odds: wait on more tiles (a three-sided wait beats a single) and your self-draw chance rises accordingly. In the late game, when nobody dares discard into anyone, self-draw is often the only way home.
Common scoring mistake
The real value of self-draw isn’t the 1 faan — it’s the payment: winning off a discard is paid chiefly by the discarder, while a self-drawn win is paid by all three opponents. The actual take is usually much bigger than one faan suggests. Note some tables add extra faan for winning on the replacement tile after a kong (槓上自摸) — agree beforehand.
Combines with
Self-Draw and Concealed Hand are natural partners: a concealed self-drawn win adds 2 faan on the spot — the most common way an All Chows hand reaches a 3-faan minimum.
Frequently asked questions
How many faan is a self-drawn win?
Self-Draw adds 1 faan in Hong Kong Mahjong. It applies to any hand pattern and stacks with all other faan.
How does payment work on a self-drawn win?
On a self-draw, all three opponents pay the winner. On a discard win, the discarder bears the main payment (details vary by table) — so self-draw usually pays notably more.
How many faan is a concealed self-draw?
Concealed Hand (1 faan) plus Self-Draw (1 faan) adds 2 faan. With All Chows (1 faan), that’s exactly a 3-faan minimum.
Related hands
See how this hand fits into the complete scoring table: