nurikabe

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noun

A Japanese logic puzzle with a rectangular grid of squares, some of them numbered; the solver is challenged to fill in a subset of squares (under certain constraints) such that each numbered square finally indicates the number of unfilled squares contiguous to it.

OriginJapanese ぬりかべ →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounnurikabe (uncountable)
  1. uncountablepuzzlesgamesA Japanese logic puzzle with a rectangular grid of squares, some of them numbered; the solver is challenged to fill in a subset of squares (under certain constraints) such that each numbered square finally indicates the number of unfilled squares contiguous to it.

Origin

  1. Japaneseぬりかべ“an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays travel on foot”
  2. Englishnurikabe

From Japanese ぬりかべ (nurikabe, “an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays travel on foot”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

nurikabe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurikabe

MLA

“nurikabe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurikabe. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nurikabe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nurikabe.

Source: nurikabe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.