Hiku
Rate itThe number says how far it jumps: land on another, subtract, and clear the board.
Every day: Daily Hiku: four new boards every day, from Easy to Expert, the same for everyone, in the browser, on sites that embed it and in the iPhone app. New puzzle: Once a day (new boards each day; the site says to come back tomorrow).
Play Daily Hiku in the browserHiku Puzzle on the App StoreHow to play Hiku
Hiku is a calm number puzzle from the Norwegian studio Rubberduck. Each number jumps exactly as many squares as it shows and subtracts from the number it lands on, and equal numbers vanish. Daily Hiku gives everyone the same four boards a day, Easy, Medium, Hard and Expert, free in the browser and in the iPhone app.
About Hiku
Hiku is a number puzzle made by Espen Schulstad's studio Rubberduck in Norway, launched in the browser and on the App Store in autumn 2026. Its name is the Japanese word for to pull, which is also how you say minus.
The rule fits in one line: a number jumps as many squares as it says, across or up and down, over anything in between, and must land on another number. The smaller is taken from the larger and the rest stays where it landed; two equal numbers both disappear. As a number shrinks its jump gets shorter, so a careless move can strand a number that nothing can reach. The goal is an empty board.
Daily Hiku is four new boards every day, from Easy to Expert, the same for every player. They play on the website, in an embed that news sites can put on their own pages, and in the iPhone app, which adds 50 teaching levels, a streak and a home-screen widget. Clearing a board without an undo earns three stars.
There are no ads, no timers and no account, and the game is in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Finnish and German. It suits sudoku players who like a puzzle with one clean rule and a lot of depth.
How to play Hiku
- Open Daily Hiku and pick today's Easy, Medium, Hard or Expert board.
- Drag a number to the square it can reach, or tap it and then its target: it jumps exactly as many squares as it shows, across or up and down.
- When it lands, the smaller number is taken from the larger and the rest stays; equal numbers both vanish.
- Plan the order so no number is left with nothing it can reach, and use Undo when you strand one.
- Clear every number to solve the board; do it without undoing for three stars.
Screenshots
Tips
- Look for numbers about to be left alone in their row and column, and use them first.
- If two numbers can only be cleared by the same one, check it is big enough for both: 5 can take 3 and then 2, but 4 cannot.
- The total of all numbers stays even or odd whatever you do, and a solvable board has an even total: use that to spot a doomed group.
- Start over counts as one undo, so it costs no more than undoing once.
Questions
Is Daily Hiku the same for everyone?
Yes. There are four new boards every day, Easy to Expert, and they are the same in the browser, the embed and the iPhone app.
Is Hiku free?
Yes. It is free in the browser and on iPhone, with no ads and no account.
Can every board be solved?
Yes. Every board has a solution; the wrong order of jumps can leave numbers that cannot reach each other, so undo and try another way.
Is there an Android app?
Not yet: there is the browser version and an app for iPhone and iPad.
Ratings and reviews
No ratings yet. Be the first to rate Hiku.
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