<p>Riichi Mahjong has a one-<em>yaku</em> minimum before you can complete your hand.  While <em>tsumo</em> gives you a <em>yaku</em> if the hand is still closed, it won't give you anything if you've already opened your hand by calling melds.</p>

<p>For further details, you can read the related answer here: <a href="https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/a/8463/1926">Why couldn't this hand win with ron?</a></p>

<p>Your hand, as it stands, doesn't have any <em>yaku</em>.  If the North wind was active (i.e. if you were playing in the North seat) you could earn a <em>yaku</em> by calling or drawing a third North tile, but then you would be stuck with a pair wait on one of the 2/3 character tiles.  Beyond that, about the only way you could win with that hand (short of hoping for a winning tile on the last draw or a <em>kan</em> draw) would be to swap out the characters and replace them with a set of dragons or an active wind.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-30T02:03:38.393Z
Thanks! I had read a bit of the other thread, and I thought it was a different case...but it seems the answer was the same to both questions. I apologize for making a technically duplicate question. I usually go for Toitoi or Riichi, since usually every time I call on melds I end up in Furiten or something like this I couldn't understand haha. I'm studying up on yaku hands now :> This really helped me a lot!
Shana
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-29T04:16:21.317Z
2013-04-29T04:16:21.317Z
2017-04-13T12:38:50.353Z
goldPseudo
<p>I recently played a game of Mahjong on the internet, and I had gotten this hand</p>

<p>[2 Characters]
[3 Characters]
[North Wind]
[North Wind]</p>

<p>[4 Characters] &lt;- Drawn Tile</p>

<p>[Melded Pon of 2 Bamboo]
[Melded Chi of 3-5 Bamboo]
[Melded Kan of 1 Characters]</p>

<p>but it wouldn't let me declare Tsumo. 
I had a few possible reasons why I couldn't but I don't know the game that well. Can you not have a pair of Winds to complete your hand? Or is my hand invalid in some way?</p>

<p>Here is my discards, it might serve some purpose - </p>

<p>[Characters] 7
[Bamboo] 4, 3, 1
[Dragons] Red, Green, White
[Winds] East, West</p>

<mahjong><riichi-mahjong>
Why couldn't I declare Tsumo with this hand?
Shana
# Why couldn't I declare Tsumo with this hand?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-04-29)

I recently played a game of Mahjong on the internet, and I had gotten this hand

[2 Characters]
[3 Characters]
[North Wind]
[North Wind]

[4 Characters] <- Drawn Tile

[Melded Pon of 2 Bamboo]
[Melded Chi of 3-5 Bamboo]
[Melded Kan of 1 Characters]

but it wouldn't let me declare Tsumo.
I had a few possible reasons why I couldn't but I don't know the game that well. Can you not have a pair of Winds to complete your hand? Or is my hand invalid in some way?

Here is my discards, it might serve some purpose -

[Characters] 7
[Bamboo] 4, 3, 1
[Dragons] Red, Green, White
[Winds] East, West

**Tags:** mahjong, riichi-mahjong


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-04-29. Score: 3

Riichi Mahjong has a one-*yaku* minimum before you can complete your hand. While *tsumo* gives you a *yaku* if the hand is still closed, it won't give you anything if you've already opened your hand by calling melds.

For further details, you can read the related answer here: [Why couldn't this hand win with ron?](https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/a/8463/1926)

Your hand, as it stands, doesn't have any *yaku*. If the North wind was active (i.e. if you were playing in the North seat) you could earn a *yaku* by calling or drawing a third North tile, but then you would be stuck with a pair wait on one of the 2/3 character tiles. Beyond that, about the only way you could win with that hand (short of hoping for a winning tile on the last draw or a *kan* draw) would be to swap out the characters and replace them with a set of dragons or an active wind.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks! I had read a bit of the other thread, and I thought it was a different case...but it seems the answer was the same to both questions. I apologize for making a technically duplicate question. I usually go for Toitoi or Riichi, since usually every time I call on melds I end up in Furiten or something like this I couldn't understand haha. I'm studying up on yaku hands now :> This really helped me a lot!  

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