Fully closed self-draw 門前清自摸和 · menzen tsumo
Complete a closed hand by drawing the winning tile yourself.
| Value | 1 han — closed hands only |
|---|---|
| How often | very common |
Think of menzen tsumo as the reward for patience. Keep your hand closed and every self-draw win is valid on its own, whether or not anything else lines up. That settles a question every new player hits: a closed hand in tenpai テンパイ always has at least one legal way to finish. Mind the direction, though. This yaku covers your own draw only, so a closed hand with no other yaku can win by tsumo but not by ron.
The classic mistake happens earlier in the hand: calling chii or pon for speed, then realizing nothing scores. One open meld and this yaku is gone for good; a closed kan is the exception, since it doesn't open the hand. Before you call, name the yaku your hand will actually finish with — the habit is covered in why every hand needs a yaku.
It stacks cleanly with the other closed-hand yaku. Add riichi and you're at two han with ura dora 裏ドラ still to flip. Add pinfu and the hand scores at 20 fu, the signature quick closed finish — see the fu page for what that means in points.
Key points
- Closed hand only — any chii, pon, or open kan removes it
- Combines naturally with riichi and pinfu
- One answer to the classic beginner question: a closed hand that self-draws always has at least this yaku
Related yaku
- Riichi 立直 — Declare that you are one tile from winning, with a closed hand, by betting a 1,000-point stick.
- Pinfu (all sequences) 平和 — A closed hand of four sequences and a valueless pair, won on a two-sided (ryanmen) wait.
← All yaku · New here? Learn why every hand needs a yaku or check what this hand pays with the score calculator.