How to play Hitori

The rules

  1. Shade cells so no number repeats in any row or column.
  2. Shaded cells may never touch each other.
  3. The white cells must stay connected as one region.
  4. Tap a cell to shade it or ring it (sure white); drag to shade several in a row.
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Example board

Getting started: When the same number appears three times in a row, the middle one must stay white — otherwise two shaded cells would touch.

Step by step

  1. 539118265361958272914338582785642179378543624372169355627785371471821793295166458

    1Every number is shown. Shade duplicates until none repeat in a row or column.

  2. 539118265361958272914338582785642179378543624372169355627785371471821793295166458

    2The number 1 appears more than once in row 1 — shade this one.

  3. 539118265361958272914338582785642179378543624372169355627785371471821793295166458

    3The number 8 appears more than once in column 6 — shade this one.

  4. 539118265361958272914338582785642179378543624372169355627785371471821793295166458

    4The number 5 appears more than once in row 1 — shade this one.

4 more steps in this walkthrough — the full step-by-step solve is a Pluss feature. About Pluss →

Real puzzle no. 141437 with its solution, shown step by step.

Common questions

Can I play right in the browser?

Yes. Pick a Hitori puzzle and solve it on screen — press “Check” to see if you are on track, and “Hint” if you get stuck. You can also print it.

Can I link to a specific puzzle?

Of course. Every puzzle has a number, and you can link straight to it: puzzles.flogvit.com/eng/hitori?nr=100. Replace 100 with the puzzle number — handy for challenging a friend with the very same puzzle.

Can I print the puzzles?

Yes. Each type has a print sheet for one or four puzzles with the answers on a separate page.

Are the puzzles free to use?

Yes, this is a free service. If you want to publish the puzzles elsewhere you must arrange it first — see copyright.