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150 Free Printable Futoshiki Puzzles
Free Futoshiki puzzles you can download and print. Each puzzle is a single page PDF with plenty of room to write. Solutions are provided separately so you won't accidentally see the answer.
Futoshiki (Japanese for "not equal") adds inequality constraints to Latin square logic. Fill a grid so each row and column contains each number exactly once, while also satisfying the greater-than (>) and less-than (<) signs between the squares.
What makes Futoshiki different from Sudoku? Instead of working from given numbers alone, you're reasoning about relationships: which cell must be larger, which must be smaller, and what that chain of constraints forces. This kind of relational thinking exercises a different set of mental muscles than pure placement puzzles. You're not just asking "where does this number go?" but "how do these values relate to each other?"
Jump to: Easy (50) • Medium (50) • Hard (50) • Futoshiki Rules • Terms of Use
These printables are designed for a comfortable paper-solving experience. The grids are sized to fill the page with room for pencil marks, and the inequality signs are clearly printed. Each difficulty level uses a different grid size (5×5, 7×7, or 9×9), so you can work up gradually or jump straight to the challenge that suits you. Solutions are in separate files, so there's no risk of a stray glance spoiling your progress.
Click any puzzle link to open the PDF in a new tab, then print or save. All puzzles are free for personal and organizational use.
50 Easy Futoshiki (5×5)
A gentle introduction to Futoshiki. These 5×5 puzzles use digits 1 through 5 and a small number of inequality signs, so the logic stays manageable while you get comfortable with the mechanics.
Most can be solved by following one or two inequality chains and then filling in the remaining cells with basic row and column elimination. A good starting point if you've never tried Futoshiki, or if you want a quick puzzle that takes just a few minutes.
If you're coming from Sudoku, Futoshiki will feel familiar but fresh. The row-and-column uniqueness rule is the same, but the inequality signs give you a different kind of foothold. Instead of scanning for plain singles, you're tracing a path of "this must be bigger than that," which narrows the options faster than you might expect on a small grid.
50 Medium Futoshiki (7×7)
A step up in both grid size and reasoning depth. These 7×7 puzzles use digits 1 through 7, which means more cells, more inequality signs, and longer chains of constraints to track.
You'll find yourself doing more candidate elimination and sometimes working through multi-step deductions before placing a number. Accessible if you're comfortable with the Easy puzzles, but expect each one to take noticeably longer.
The 7×7 grid also changes your solving strategy. On a 5×5, you can often spot the answer to a cell by quick elimination since there are only five possibilities.
With seven candidates per cell, you'll rely more heavily on inequality chains to narrow the field before row-and-column logic can finish the job. It's a good middle ground: complex enough to hold your attention for 10 to 20 minutes, but not so large that you lose the thread.
50 Hard Futoshiki (9×9)
Full-size 9×9 Futoshiki for experienced solvers. With digits 1 through 9 and a dense web of inequality constraints, these puzzles require careful candidate tracking, longer chains of reasoning, and patience.
Pencil marks are practically a necessity. If you enjoy the feeling of working through a complex logic problem on paper, these are built for you.
At this size, the grid behaves more like a full Sudoku in terms of complexity, but the inequality signs change the texture of the solve. You'll encounter situations where a chain of five or six linked cells forces a specific sequence, and tracing that chain correctly can unlock an entire row or column at once.
Expect these to take 20 minutes or more, and don't hesitate to use the solution file to check a tricky section rather than starting over from scratch.
How to Solve Futoshiki
Futoshiki combines Latin square rules with inequality constraints. The result is a puzzle that's part Sudoku, part logic chain.
The rules:
1. Fill each cell with a digit from 1 to N (where N is the grid size).
2. Each row must contain each digit exactly once.
3. Each column must contain each digit exactly once.
4. The inequality signs (< and >) between cells must be satisfied.
Basic strategies:
Start at the extremes. If a cell points toward another with a "greater than" sign and no room for anything larger, the first cell must be the maximum value. Similarly, cells that must be smaller than their neighbors can often be resolved to 1.
Follow inequality chains. When you see A > B > C, you know A must be at least 3, B at least 2, and C can be 1. Chains of inequalities constrain possibilities quickly.
Use row/column logic. Just like Sudoku, if a number appears once in a row or column, it's eliminated from other cells in that row or column. Combine this with inequality constraints for powerful deductions.
Mark candidates. Write small numbers in cells to track possibilities. When inequalities or row/column rules eliminate a candidate, cross it out.
Printing Tips
Each puzzle is a single-page PDF designed for standard letter-size (8.5×11") paper. They also print well on A4. For the best results, use your browser's "Fit to page" setting and make sure "Print backgrounds" is turned off (it should be by default). The puzzles are black and white, so they work fine on any printer.
If you're printing for a group (for example, a classroom, a company event, a senior center activity, or family game night), feel free to print as many copies as you need. The solution files are separate, so hand out puzzles without worrying about answers being visible on the back.
Prefer to solve on a tablet? The PDFs also work well with stylus-based annotation apps. Just open the file and write directly on the screen.
Why Futoshiki?
Futoshiki exercises relational reasoning in a way most number puzzles don't. You're constantly thinking about how values relate to each other, not just where they can go. This makes it a nice complement to Sudoku: similar in structure, different in the mental processes it emphasizes.
The inequality chains also give Futoshiki a satisfying "cascade" quality. One deduction often triggers several others as constraints propagate through the grid.
For more about the cognitive aspects of puzzles, see my Brain Games overview.
More Printable Puzzles
This page is part of my Printable Puzzles collection. I'm adding new puzzle types regularly.
You might also enjoy my Printable Sudoku, Printable Kakuro, or Printable Slitherlink puzzle pages.
Terms of Use
These puzzles are free for personal use and for organizations, including classrooms, senior centers, memory care facilities, homeschool groups, clubs, churches, and workplaces. You may print as many copies as you need. Please don't sell them or remove the copyright notice.
Publishers: You may include one or two puzzles in each newsletter or bulletin with attribution to Memory-Improvement-Tips.com.
Published: 01/29/2026
Last Updated: 03/09/2026
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