You drew the winning tile yourself.
You complete the hand with a tile you drew yourself rather than one someone discarded. It is one faan, and it changes who pays. On a self-draw all three opponents pay you.
On a discarded winning tile the discarder often pays alone. The pattern says nothing about the shape of your hand.
No play makes a self-draw more likely except staying on more winning tiles. A hand waiting on three different tiles draws itself far more often than one waiting on a single copy. When two shapes are otherwise equal, take the wider wait.
Assuming a self-draw is always better. It is one faan and spreads the cost across three opponents. Even so, taking a discard the moment it appears usually beats waiting for the same tile to reach you, especially as the wall runs down.
Self Draw with Concealed Hand is the classic pairing, one plus one for two faan. It also stacks with Last Tile when you draw the wall’s final tile, and with Kong Replacement when it arrives as the tile after your own kong.
Does a replacement tile after a kong count as self-drawn?
Yes, and it also scores Kong Replacement. Both rows are counted.
Do I still score it if I claimed pungs earlier?
Yes. This row only asks where the winning tile came from. Claiming costs you Concealed Hand, not this.
Who pays on a self-draw?
All three opponents. That is the practical reason players value it beyond the single faan.
Play Mahjong Winds
Every win shows its faan line by line, using the table on this page.