Sudoku Definition: What Does Sudoku Mean in Japanese?

Definition of Sudoku

In English, the word Sudoku refers to the number puzzle made up of rows, columns, and boxes of 3×3 squares that the player needs to fill so that each of them contains the numbers 1 to 9 exactly once each. 

Below is an example of incomplete and completed Sudoku puzzles side-by-side. Players start with the incomplete version with empty squares and must fill in the numbers to complete the 9×9 grid.

Sudoku’s Japanese meaning

While the above definition explains what the word means in English, Sudoku is a term that originates from Japan. It’s an abbreviation of the Japanese phrase “suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru” which effectively translates as “the numbers (or digits) must remain single.”

In Japanese, Sudoku is also written as 数独 where the two characters correspond to sū and doku. Sū means number (or digit) and doku translates as “single.”

The Japanese meaning behind the names of Sudoku variants

A number of variations of Sudoku, particularly ones with different grid sizes, also have their origins in the Japanese language. 

For example, Shidoku, a much smaller version of Sudoku that uses a 4×4 grid instead of 9×9 gets its name from “shi” meaning “four” in Japanese and “doku” from Sudoku.

Likewise, Godoku also comes from Japanese with “go” being Japanese for “five.”

Many other Sudoku variants of different sizes also derive their name from combining the Japanese number and “doku.”