sudoku

American  

[soo-doh-koo] / sʊˈdoʊ ku /

noun

1. a puzzle printed on a square grid of nine large squares each subdivided into nine smaller squares, the object of which is to fill in each of the 81 squares so that each column, row, and large square contains every number from 1 to 9.

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sudoku British  

/ səˈdəʊkuː /

noun

1. a type of puzzle in which numbers must be arranɡed within a ɡrid contaninɡ several internal squares so that no number is repeated in the same row, column, or internal square

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Etymology

Origin of sudoku

2000–05; < Japanese sū- (< sūji number) + -doku (< dokushin being single)

Explanation

Sudoku is a popular number placement puzzle. Many newspapers print a sudoku each day, often next to the crossword. The word sudoku is Japanese for “single numbers.” A sudoku consists of a grid of 81 boxes, each of which is either blank or contains a single number. The trick is to write numbers in the blank boxes so that every digit from one to nine appears just once in each horizontal and vertical line. The origin is Japanese — sūdoku combines sū(ji), "number," and doku(shin), "single status." The game's original name was sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru, "the numbers are restricted to single status." Not quite as catchy.

Example Sentences

She reads a romance novel and does Sudoku and dreams.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Microsoft-owned LinkedIn hired three-time world Sudoku champion Thomas Snyder as its first-ever puzzlemaster and initially launched three daily puzzle games modeled on the short, habit-forming design the Times pioneered -- a number that has grown.

From Barron's • May 16, 2026

As one said, scientists weren’t sure if doing Sudoku helped you do anything better except Sudoku.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

For many years it has been suggested by some that solving puzzles, whether Sudoku or crosswords, can have a hand in slowing cognitive decline or dementia.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2024

“A club. We meet every week for a puzzle party. Sudoku, the Spelling Bee, jigsaw puzzles. It’s fun.”

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko