⬛ Hitori

Hitori is a Japanese shading puzzle. Eliminate duplicate numbers by shading cells — but shaded cells may never touch, and the remaining white cells must stay connected.

How to play

1. Tap a cell to shade or unshade it.
2. No number may repeat among unshaded cells in a row or column.
3. Shaded cells cannot be neighbours, and unshaded cells must form one connected group.

Strategy tips

• If three identical numbers appear in a line, the middle one must stay — shade the outer two.
• A number that appears only once in its row and column can never be shaded.
• Shaded cells cannot touch — every shade confirms its four neighbours are white.

FAQ

Why can shaded cells not touch?

It is a core rule — shading removes cells without ever breaking the board apart.

What does connected mean?

All unshaded cells must form one linked group — you cannot isolate a white cell by shading around it.

Is there always one solution?

Yes — the three rules determine a unique answer.

Difficulty affects grid size and time is your score — finish fast, post to the daily leaderboard, or race a friend.

All puzzles