Naoki Inaba Puzzles
Who is Naoki Inaba?
Naoki Inaba is a prolific Japanese puzzle author of over 400 original logic puzzles. Inaba has a lovely website full of free PDF puzzles. The only issue is that the website is entirely in Japanese. His puzzles have been featured in both the New York Times and The Guardian.
Since his puzzles have so much potential for use in the math classroom, I have been working the last few years to translate these puzzles to English and format them for classroom use. I hope you find these puzzles to be as inspiring as I do.
Free Printable Math and Logic Puzzles from Naoki Inaba
Angle Loop Puzzles
These angle loop puzzles from Naoki Inaba challenge you to create a closed loop that matches all of the angle measurements that it travels through.
Angle Maze Puzzles
Put your knowledge of angles to the test to make it through the maze in these fun angle maze puzzles from Naoki Inaba!
Find a path through each maze by being able to recognize common angle measurements. Draw a path through the maze from S to G. Each time you pass through a numbered circle, the path must form that angle in degrees.
Area Maze Puzzles (Menseki Meiro)
Use your knowledge of area to solve each area maze puzzle for the missing length or area. No fractions are allowed in these fun logic puzzles from Naoki Inaba!
Cross Puzzles
Doko Equation Puzzles
Gemini Twin Puzzles
Twin Puzzles (also known as Gemini Puzzles) are order of operations puzzles that require filling in the missing operations to make two true equations.
However, the equations must be twins, so whatever symbols are entered in the first equation must also be put in the second equation in the same place.
Link Puzzles
Kazu Sagashi Puzzles
These kazu sagashi puzzles from Naoki Inaba involve searching for squares with the specified number of fruit pieces. They have always been a big hit with my students!
I often informally refer to these as “Apples and Oranges” puzzles.
Mizu Fraction Puzzles
Number Ball Puzzles
These number ball puzzles from Naoki Inaba involve placing the specified numbers in each row and column. Cells with circles must be used. Cells with X’s may not be used.
Sankaku Puzzles (Triangle Area Puzzles)
These Sankaku Puzzles are probably best translated as “Triangle Area Puzzles.”
Shikaku Area Puzzles
Looking for a fun logic puzzle involving area? These free printable shikaku puzzles involve packing rectangles of given areas into a provided grid.
Step Puzzles
You’ll need some logical thinking in order to fill in the missing circles on these step puzzles from Naoki Inaba so the numbers on each line form an arithmetic sequence.
Zero Place Value Puzzles
Practice your place value skills with these zero puzzles from Naoki Inaba. Add zeros to the end of some of the digit cards in order to form a true equation.
Zukei Puzzles (Polygon Finding Puzzles)
Put your geometry knowledge to the test with these zukei puzzles from Naoki Inaba which involve finding various types of polygons.
Each zukei puzzle provides you with a grid featuring several dots and the name of a shape. The task is to connect some of the provided dots to form the specified shape. The dots must lie on the shape’s vertices.