Masyu is a loop puzzle. You draw one closed loop through the centres of cells, moving horizontally and vertically, so that it passes through every circle. At a white circle the loop must go straight through and must turn in at least one of the two cells either side. At a black circle it must turn, and must go straight through both of the cells either side.

Is this Masyu generator free?

Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print it with its answer, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.

What is the difference between a white and a black circle?

A white circle is a straight, a black circle is a corner. The loop runs straight through a white one, and it has to turn within one cell on at least one side. The loop turns on a black one, and it has to run straight for a full cell on both sides before it can turn again. Those two rules are the whole puzzle.

Does every puzzle have one solution?

Yes, and that is the hard part of this genre. A board can satisfy every circle and still be drawn as two separate rings, which is not a solution. Every puzzle here is built so its answer is a single closed loop, then checked by the same solver our Publisher Studio uses, so the circles fix exactly one loop.

Does it include the answer?

Yes. Every puzzle prints as two pages: the puzzle on page one and the finished loop on page two, so you can check your work.

What size are the pages?

The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Free tool

Free Masyu generator, with the answer

Pick a size and generate a Masyu, then print it with its answer. Every puzzle has exactly one loop, with no sign-up and no watermark. It runs on the same engine as our KDP Publisher Studio.

Difficulty

Bigger boards with fewer circles are harder. Every puzzle has one loop.

10×10 board. Draw one closed loop through the circles: straight through every white one, turning on every black one.

Two pages: the puzzle and its answer. Every puzzle is proved to have exactly one loop by the same engine as our KDP studio.

Want the whole book?

This makes one puzzle. Sign up to turn it into a full Masyu book for Amazon KDP: hundreds of graded puzzles at any trim, as print-ready PDFs.

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Preview

The puzzle and its answer, as they print.

Masyu Medium

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Masyu Medium · Solution

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How to make a Masyu puzzle

1Pick a difficulty. Choose a board. Harder grades are bigger and carry fewer circles, so more of the loop has to be worked out rather than read off.
2Generate the puzzle. Press Generate puzzle. You get a fresh board, proved to have exactly one loop.
3Print the two pages. Press Print / save PDF. You get two pages: the puzzle on page one and its answer on page two.

How to solve a masyu

Draw one closed loop through the centres of cells so it runs straight through every white circle and turns on every black one. Cells with no circle are free, and the loop need not visit them.

The method

1Start with the circles on the edge. A white circle in the top or bottom row has no vertical option, so the loop must run across it; one in the left or right column must run down it. A black circle near an edge can only send that leg inward, and it has to reach two cells, which fixes a surprising amount for free.
2Extend every black circle two cells. The loop turns on a black and then runs straight for a full cell on both sides, so each black gives you three segments at once as soon as you know which way it turns. Two blacks a single cell apart can never both point at each other.
3Look for whites in a row. A run of white circles in a line all go straight, so the loop crosses the whole run. The turn each one needs has to happen at one end or the other, which often decides the end of the run.
4Remember a white's turn is close. A white is not just a straight. It also promises a corner within one cell on at least one side, so a white in the middle of a long straight run is impossible. That rules out more lines than it looks like.
5Refuse the early loop. If closing a line would make a small ring while any circle is still off it, that closure is wrong. There is only one loop in the finished puzzle, and every circle is on it.

The one rule: One closed loop through cell centres, no branches and no crossings, straight through every white circle and turning on every black one.
What the answer page shows: The finished loop is printed at the back.
How the grades differ: Harder grades are bigger boards with fewer circles, so longer stretches of the loop come from the degree rule rather than from a circle.
Good for: Solvers who like a puzzle with two rules and a lot of consequence.

Publishing a whole book?

This tool makes one puzzle for home or the classroom. To make a Masyu book you can sell on Amazon KDP, Publisher Studio generates hundreds of graded puzzles across a difficulty curve, at any KDP trim, as a print-ready interior and solutions PDF.

See the KDP Masyu maker

Questions

What is Masyu?: Masyu is a loop puzzle. You draw one closed loop through the centres of cells, moving horizontally and vertically, so that it passes through every circle. At a white circle the loop must go straight through and must turn in at least one of the two cells either side. At a black circle it must turn, and must go straight through both of the cells either side.
Is this Masyu generator free?: Yes. Pick a difficulty, generate a puzzle and print it with its answer, with no sign-up and no watermark. It is free for classroom, home and personal use.
What is the difference between a white and a black circle?: A white circle is a straight, a black circle is a corner. The loop runs straight through a white one, and it has to turn within one cell on at least one side. The loop turns on a black one, and it has to run straight for a full cell on both sides before it can turn again. Those two rules are the whole puzzle.
Does every puzzle have one solution?: Yes, and that is the hard part of this genre. A board can satisfy every circle and still be drawn as two separate rings, which is not a solution. Every puzzle here is built so its answer is a single closed loop, then checked by the same solver our Publisher Studio uses, so the circles fix exactly one loop.
Does it include the answer?: Yes. Every puzzle prints as two pages: the puzzle on page one and the finished loop on page two, so you can check your work.
What size are the pages?: The free tool prints at 8.25 by 11 inches, a popular large-print size. Our Publisher Studio will export the same book at any KDP trim, from 5.06 by 7.81 up to 8.27 by 11.69, as a print-ready 300 DPI interior.

Short of ideas? Browse our ready-made printables for this puzzle and print one today.