Hitori Strategy: 5 Techniques

Hitori is solved by small local rules applied again and again, plus one global check: everything white must stay connected. New here? Read the rules first.

1. The sandwich

A number between two copies of another number (3 5 3) is white: if it were shaded, both 3s would be white and would repeat. Circle it.

2. Triples

Three of the same number in a row (4 4 4): the middle one is white and both ends are shaded, because the ends can't both be white and the middle can't be shaded next to a shaded end.

3. Shade, then circle round it

Every time you shade a cell, circle its four neighbours: they can't be shaded. Then look along each circled cell's row and column: any other copy of its number must now be shaded.

4. Keep the corners alive

A corner cell has only two neighbours. If one is shaded, the other must be white, or the corner is cut off. The same goes for any cell being surrounded: never let a white area get closed in.

5. Repeats across

If a number appears twice in a row, at least one is shaded. If one of them has a shaded neighbour already, it's white, so the other is shaded. Chase these implications and the grid usually falls without guessing.

Last updated 2026-10-20