# Masyu Puzzles (MasyuPuzzles.com)

> MasyuPuzzles.com is a free website dedicated to Masyu, the Japanese pearl loop logic puzzle. It offers 2,500+ original puzzles from 6×6 to 25×25 in Easy, Medium and Hard, daily/weekly/monthly challenges, an online Masyu solver, printable worksheets, and in-depth guides to rules, strategy and history.

## Key facts about Masyu
- Masyu (ましゅ, also "pearl puzzle") is a logic puzzle developed by the Japanese publisher Nikoli.
- Rules: draw a single closed loop through cell centres (horizontal/vertical moves, no branches or crossings) that passes through every pearl.
- Black pearl: the loop turns 90° on it and travels straight through the next cell in both directions.
- White pearl: the loop goes straight through it and turns in at least one of the two adjacent cells along its path.
- History: first published in Puzzle Communication Nikoli #84 as "Shinju no Kubikazari" (pearl necklace, white circles only); black circles added in #90 ("Shiroshinju Kuroshinju"); renamed Masyu in #103.
- Name: from a misreading of 真珠 (shinju, "pearl"); "evil influence" is a mistranslation based on the homophone 魔手.
- Complexity: deciding solvability of general Masyu is NP-complete (Erich Friedman, "Pearl Puzzles are NP-complete").
- All MasyuPuzzles.com puzzles are verified to have a unique solution reachable by logic without guessing. Easy/Medium need direct deductions; Hard needs one-step what-if (contradiction) reasoning.

## Play
- [Daily Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/daily-masyu/): Play today’s Daily Masyu: a fresh 10×10 pearl loop puzzle every day with a unique solution. Track your streak, compare your times and share your result.
- [Masyu Puzzles](https://masyupuzzles.com/): Play 2,500+ free Masyu pearl puzzles online, 6×6 to 25×25, with unique solutions, hints, a daily challenge, solver, printables and strategy guides.
- [Masyu vs. Other Loop Puzzles](https://masyupuzzles.com/loop-puzzles/): How does Masyu compare with Slitherlink, Yajilin, Country Road, Balance Loop and Castle Wall? Rules, clue types, difficulty and which loop puzzle to try next.
- [Monthly Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/monthly-masyu/): The Monthly Masyu: one giant 20×20 Hard pearl loop puzzle each month. A long, absorbing challenge with a unique, logic-only solution and auto-saved progress.
- [Printable Masyu Puzzles](https://masyupuzzles.com/printable-masyu/): Print free Masyu puzzles: choose size, difficulty and number of puzzles to create print-ready worksheets with answer keys. Great for classrooms, puzzle clubs and travel.
- [Masyu Puzzle Library](https://masyupuzzles.com/puzzles/): Browse the full Masyu puzzle library: 6×6 to 25×25 in Easy, Medium and Hard. See which puzzles you’ve solved and jump straight into any one.
- [Weekly Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/weekly-masyu/): Take on the Weekly Masyu: a 15×15 Hard pearl puzzle that changes every Monday. Unique solution, no guessing, with hints, timer and auto-save.
- [6×6 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-6x6/): Play 450 free 6×6 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [8×8 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-8x8/): Play 450 free 8×8 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [10×10 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-10x10/): Play 450 free 10×10 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [12×12 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-12x12/): Play 300 free 12×12 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [15×15 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-15x15/): Play 240 free 15×15 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [20×20 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-20x20/): Play 120 free 20×20 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.
- [25×25 Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/masyu-25x25/): Play 75 free 25×25 Masyu puzzles online in Easy, Medium and Hard — unique solutions, hints, undo, timer and auto-save.

## Learn
- [Masyu FAQ](https://masyupuzzles.com/faq/): Answers to the most common Masyu questions: rules, black and white pearls, difficulty, uniqueness, strategy, history, the name, kids and learning, printing and how this site works.
- [Masyu Glossary](https://masyupuzzles.com/glossary/): A glossary of Masyu terms: pearls, arms, loop ends, premature loops, parity, dead ends, uniqueness, what-if chains and more — with clear definitions for solvers.
- [History of Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/history/): The story of Masyu: its debut as Shinju no Kubikazari in Puzzle Communication Nikoli, the addition of black pearls, how a misreading of 真珠 gave it its name, and its place in puzzle competitions.
- [How to Play Masyu](https://masyupuzzles.com/how-to-play/): Learn how to play Masyu in five minutes: the three rules, illustrated examples of black and white pearls, common mistakes, and a full step-by-step worked example.
- [Masyu vs. Other Loop Puzzles](https://masyupuzzles.com/loop-puzzles/): How does Masyu compare with Slitherlink, Yajilin, Country Road, Balance Loop and Castle Wall? Rules, clue types, difficulty and which loop puzzle to try next.
- [Masyu Strategy & Techniques](https://masyupuzzles.com/strategy/): Master Masyu with 15 illustrated techniques: corner and edge pearls, adjacent blacks, rows of whites, diagonal patterns, dead ends, loop closure, parity and contradiction chains.

## Tools
- [Masyu Solver](https://masyupuzzles.com/solver/): Free online Masyu solver: place white and black pearls on any grid from 4×4 to 25×25 and get the solution instantly. Checks uniqueness for puzzle setters and lets you share or play your puzzle.

## About
- [About Masyu Puzzles](https://masyupuzzles.com/about/): MasyuPuzzles.com is an independent site dedicated to the Masyu pearl puzzle. Learn how we generate and verify every puzzle and how we write our guides.
- [Privacy Policy](https://masyupuzzles.com/privacy/): How MasyuPuzzles.com handles your data: local progress storage, analytics, cookies and your choices.