§Puzzle terminology · logic
Sudoku
A logic puzzle in which the player fills a 9×9 grid with digits 1-9 so that each row, each column, and each 3×3 subgrid contains every digit exactly once.
Origin and context
Originated in late-19th-century French puzzle magazines, popularised in Japan in the 1980s, and spread globally in the 2000s. Standard Sudoku has a unique solution provable without guessing; harder variants (Killer, Hyper) layer additional constraints.
Related terms
Frequently asked
What is Sudoku?
A logic puzzle in which the player fills a 9×9 grid with digits 1-9 so that each row, each column, and each 3×3 subgrid contains every digit exactly once.
Where does Sudoku come from?
Originated in late-19th-century French puzzle magazines, popularised in Japan in the 1980s, and spread globally in the 2000s. Standard Sudoku has a unique solution provable without guessing; harder variants (Killer, Hyper) layer additional constraints.
What's related to Sudoku?
Related puzzle terms include Killer Sudoku. See the linked entries for full definitions.