How to Play Futoshiki
Futoshiki ("unequal" in Japanese) is a number puzzle: a small Latin square with inequality signs.
The rules
- Fill every cell with a digit from 1 to N (N is the grid size).
- Each digit appears once in every row and once in every column.
- Where there's a sign between two cells, the digits must obey it: the sign points at the smaller digit.
A few digits are given to start.
Reading the signs
3 > 1: the left cell is bigger.∧between a cell and the one below it: the upper cell is smaller than the lower one.∨: the upper cell is bigger.
On kawu
- Tap a cell and then a digit; Shift + digit (or the notes mode) writes a note.
- Repeated digits and signs filled the wrong way round are marked in red.
- Every puzzle has one solution that logic can reach. The hint fills one cell. The daily puzzle is 5×5.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of the sign is bigger in Futoshiki?
The open side. The sign points at the smaller digit, like an arrowhead: 3 > 1, 1 < 3.
Do signs apply across the whole row?
No. A sign only compares the two cells on either side of it.
Last updated 2026-10-20