These printable easy Futoshiki puzzles are six 5 x 5 grids made by the LogikLand Futoshiki generator. Each one has four given numbers and a handful of signs, and each one has exactly one solution. The PDF has the puzzles on three pages and the solutions together on a fourth. If you have not met the puzzle before, the rules fit in a minute: Futoshiki rules.
What is on this page
- Six easy grids of 5 x 5 squares, shown below and in the PDF.
- Every grid has 4 given numbers and between 3 and 8 signs. Between them, the six grids use 35 signs.
- A 4-page US Letter PDF: three pages with two puzzles each, then one page with the six solutions.
- A first move for each grid, and a routine to warm up.
We checked every grid with a program that uses only the logic a person uses: crossing numbers out of rows and columns, placing a number that fits in only one square, and applying the limits that signs give. All six were finished that way, so none of them needs a guess.
The six puzzles
Fill every row and every column with the numbers 1 to 5, once each. The point of each sign faces the smaller number. The numbers in bold are given.
Download the 4-page PDF (puzzles and solutions)
Printing the PDF
The PDF is set up for US Letter paper (8.5 x 11 inches). In the print window, choose "Actual size" or "100 %": each grid is drawn about 4 inches wide, which leaves room to write a number in each square and to pencil in small candidates in the corner. The grids are black on white and print well on a plain black-and-white printer. The signs are small, so avoid "shrink to fit" on a smaller sheet if you can.
The solutions are alone on page 4, with the numbers you must find written in red. Print only pages 1 to 3 if you want the answers out of sight. The PDF carries a small LogikLand line at the bottom of each page and is meant for personal use. To publish puzzles in a book you sell, read the plans on the pricing page: commercial rights come with the PRO and EXPERT plans.
A first move for each grid
Rows are counted from the top and columns from the left. Each move below is a short piece of logic you can check on the grid.
| Puzzle | Signs | A first move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | In the last row, the square at column 4 is smaller than the given 2 next to it, so it is 1. |
| 2 | 7 | The squares at row 2 column 5, row 2 column 4 and row 1 column 4 form a chain of growing numbers. The middle one cannot be 3 (its row has it) or 4 (its column has it), and it must be at least 2: it is 2. The square at the end of row 2 is then 1. |
| 3 | 5 | No sign helps at once. Write pencil marks from the given numbers: after one round, the square at row 5, column 1 can only be 5. |
| 4 | 3 | Only three signs, so this one plays like a small Sudoku. After one round of pencil marks, the square at row 2, column 1 can only be 1. |
| 5 | 8 | In the last row, the square at column 3 is smaller than its right-hand neighbour. Its column has 1 and 3, its row has 4, and it cannot be 5: it is 2. |
| 6 | 5 | The square at row 2, column 3 is bigger than the given 3 above it, so it is 4 or 5. The column already has a 5: it is 4. |
What makes these grids easy
The easy level is the smallest size of the generator: 5 x 5, with always four given numbers. In a sample of 60 easy grids we measured between 3 and 9 signs, and the six grids here are in that range. The levels above easy keep the same rules but remove help: 6 x 6 grids can have as few as two given numbers, and 7 x 7 and 8 x 8 grids can have none.
Fewer signs does not always mean harder. Puzzle 4 has only three signs and four given numbers, so it asks you to keep many pencil marks, as in a small Sudoku. Puzzle 5 has eight signs, and several of them chain together, so a few numbers appear early and the rest follow. Try both, and you will see which kind of reasoning you prefer.
A warm-up routine
Round 1: the given numbers
Cross each given number out of its row and its column. In a 5 x 5 grid, four given numbers already remove candidates from many squares.
Round 2: the signs
For each sign, the smaller square cannot be 5 and the bigger one cannot be 1. If a sign touches a given number, the neighbour is limited at once: next to a given 2, a smaller square is 1.
Round 3: place and repeat
Each time a square has only one candidate, write the number in full and cross it out of its row and column. These grids were all finished in six to eight passes of the generator's own solver, so expect to repeat the cycle several times. Our suggestion, not a rule of the puzzle: work in pencil, and erase back to your last sure square if a row ends up with a repeated number.
Tip
Start with puzzle 1 or 5. They have the most signs, which give you numbers quickly. Puzzles 3 and 4 have fewer signs and ask for more pencil marks.
Checking your answer
When a grid is full, check it in this order. First read each row and write down whether it holds 1 to 5 once. Then do the same for each column. Last, follow each sign with your finger and say the two numbers aloud: "2 is smaller than 4". Only then compare with the solutions page. A mistake nearly always shows up as a repeated number in a row or column, or as a sign read in the wrong direction.
More puzzles
The step-by-step method, with a chain worked out on a real grid, is in how to solve Futoshiki. When the 5 x 5 grids feel easy, the 6 x 6 to 8 x 8 grids and their tricks are in advanced Futoshiki techniques.
To make a whole book, with up to four levels, a "How to play" page and answer pages, create a free account to make a full book and open the Futoshiki assistant. LogikLand has no free single-puzzle Futoshiki tool: the six grids on this page are the free printable set.
Related articles
- Crossword Puzzles for Kids: Getting Started, With a Printable Sample
How kids crosswords work, a complete ages 6-8 puzzle solved step by step, the two age levels, and a printable sample PDF.
- Hitori Rules: How to Play (With a Printable Example)
The three Hitori rules, checked on a real solved grid, the usual mistakes and how the four levels differ.
- How to Solve Mine Finder Puzzles: Beginner Strategies Step by Step
Three counting strategies for Mine Finder, each shown on a real Medium grid, with the squares in the order a solver finds them.
- Nonograms for Kids: Getting Started, With a Printable Sample
A first nonogram lesson for children with a solved heart, why silhouettes are easier to read, and how to build a children's book.
- Cryptogram Rules: How to Play (With a Printable Example)
How a cryptogram works, the letter patterns that crack it, and a full example with its solution.
- How to Make a Word Search Puzzle (Free Online Maker)
Step-by-step use of the free word search maker, with its real limits and a 12 x 12 grid checked cell by cell.
Sources
Want to publish your own puzzle book?
LogikLand generates Sudoku, crossword, word search and maze books for Amazon KDP, in 8.5 x 11 or 6 x 9 inches, exported as a PDF or an editable PPTX file. Commercial rights come with the PRO and EXPERT plans.
Related: All blog articles | Try the tool | More Logic puzzles articles