Masyu is a logic puzzle published by Nikoli. You draw a single closed loop on a grid that passes through every circle. At black circles the loop must make a 90° turn and travel straight through both neighbouring cells. At white circles the loop must pass straight through but must turn in at least one of the two adjacent cells along the line.

How do black and white circles work in Masyu?

Black circles: the loop MUST turn 90° at the circle and go straight for at least one cell in both directions from the turn. White circles: the loop MUST pass straight through the circle (no turn), but must turn in at least one of the cells immediately before or after the circle along that line.

What is the best strategy for Masyu?

Start with black circles near edges and corners — their turn constraints are heavily restricted in those positions. Then process white circles near edges, since the straight-line constraint limits their options. Draw definite line segments first, then extend them logically. Avoid creating small closed loops that don't include all circles.

Can every Masyu puzzle be solved without guessing?

Yes. A properly constructed Masyu puzzle has exactly one solution and can be solved entirely through logical deduction. The puzzles on this site are all generated to have a unique solution.

What grid sizes are available?

This version offers 5×5, 6×6, 8×8, and 10×10 grids, each with Easy, Medium, and Hard difficulty levels. Smaller grids are great for learning, while 8×8 and 10×10 offer a serious challenge.

Play Masyu Online

Draw a single closed loop that passes through every circle. The loop must turn at black circles and go straight through white circles. A beautiful Nikoli classic.

Time

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Edges

Wins

Turn here Go straight

Tap between dots to draw edges — form a single loop

What Is Masyu?

Masyu (ましゅ, sometimes romanised as “Mashu”) is a loop-drawing logic puzzle created by Nikoli, the Japanese publisher behind Sudoku, Kakuro, and many other beloved puzzles. It first appeared in Puzzle Communication Nikoli in 2000 under the name “Shiroshinju Kuroshinju” (White Pearls and Black Pearls), later shortened to Masyu.

The puzzle is played on a rectangular grid containing black and white circles (the “pearls”). Your goal is to draw a single continuous loop — a closed path with no branches or crossings — that passes through every circle while obeying the following rules:

Black circles (●): The loop must make a 90° turn at the circle, and must travel straight for at least one cell in both directions from the turn.
White circles (○): The loop must pass straight through the circle (no turn), but must turn in at least one of the two cells immediately before or after the circle along the straight line.

The loop may also pass through cells that don’t contain circles — it just has no special rules at those intersections. The key constraint is that the loop must be a single closed path that visits every circle exactly once.

How to Play

Choose a grid size and difficulty. 5×5 Easy is perfect for learning. Larger grids and harder levels have more complex loop paths.
Tap between two dots to draw or remove an edge (line segment). On desktop, click between adjacent intersection points.
Build the loop by connecting edges. Every intersection on the loop must have exactly two edges — one coming in, one going out.
Respect the circles. Black circles = turn here, go straight before and after. White circles = go straight here, turn nearby.
Close the loop. The path must form a single connected loop — no loose ends, no branches, no separate loops.
Check your work with the Check button to see if you’ve solved it.

Masyu Strategy Tips

1. Start With Black Circles Near Edges

A black circle requires a turn and straight segments in both directions. Near a grid edge, many directions are blocked, which heavily constrains the path. Often there is only one possible way the loop can pass through edge-adjacent black circles. These are the easiest cells to solve first.

2. Process White Circles Near Edges

A white circle on the edge of the grid must be entered and exited along the edge (going straight), with a turn forced at the neighbouring cell. This frequently determines the loop direction for several cells at once.

3. Extend Forced Segments

Once you draw some edges, look for intersections that already have two connections — no more edges can attach there. Conversely, if an intersection has one edge and only one possible direction for the second edge, draw it immediately. This “forced extension” is the bread and butter of Masyu solving.

4. Avoid Small Closed Loops

The solution must be a single loop through all circles. If you notice you’re about to close a small loop that doesn’t include every circle, something is wrong — backtrack and adjust.

5. Use Parity and Reachability

If connecting two partial paths would isolate an unvisited circle with no way to reach it, that connection is invalid. Think globally about which parts of the grid still need to be connected.

Masyu vs Other Loop Puzzles

Masyu vs Slitherlink: Both are loop-drawing puzzles, but Slitherlink uses numbered clues on cell edges to indicate how many sides of a cell are part of the loop. Masyu uses circles inside cells with turn/straight constraints.
Masyu vs Sudoku: Sudoku is about filling numbers; Masyu is about drawing a path. Both require pure logic, but the spatial/geometric reasoning in Masyu feels very different.
Masyu vs Nonograms: Both are grid-based visual logic puzzles. Nonograms reveal a picture; Masyu reveals an elegant loop.

History of Masyu

Masyu was born in the creative puzzle workshop of Nikoli, a Tokyo-based publisher that gave the world Sudoku, Kakuro, Slitherlink, and dozens of other logic puzzles. It debuted in 2000 in their flagship magazine Puzzle Communication Nikoli.

The original name, Shiroshinju Kuroshinju, was poetic but long. Nikoli readers quickly nicknamed it Masyu — and the shorter name stuck.

The puzzle gained international popularity through Nikoli’s English-language publications and online puzzle communities. Its elegant ruleset — just two simple circle constraints — produces surprisingly deep and beautiful logic, which has made it a favourite among competitive puzzle solvers and casual players alike.

Frequently Asked Questions

Masyu is a loop-drawing logic puzzle on a grid with black and white circles. You draw a single closed loop that passes through every circle. At black circles the loop must turn 90° and go straight through both neighbouring cells. At white circles the loop must go straight through but must turn in at least one adjacent cell.

Black circles: the loop MUST turn 90° at the circle and go straight for at least one cell in both directions. White circles: the loop MUST pass straight through (no turn), but must turn in at least one of the cells immediately before or after.

Start with black circles near edges and corners — their turn constraints are most restricted there. Then process white circles near edges. Draw definite line segments first, then extend forced segments. Always check you’re not creating small closed loops that miss circles.

Yes. Every puzzle on this site has exactly one solution and can be solved through pure logical deduction — no trial and error required.

This version offers 5×5, 6×6, 8×8 and 10×10 grids. Each has Easy, Medium and Hard difficulty settings that vary the number and placement of circles.

More Puzzle & Strategy Games

If you enjoy Masyu, try these other free games on our site:

Nonograms

Fill a grid using row-and-column clues — also known as Picross or Griddlers.

Hitori

Shade duplicates so no row or column repeats — but keep all unshaded cells connected.