Futoshiki Puzzles — 4x4

Free printable 4x4 futoshiki puzzles as PDFs with answer pages. Greater-than and less-than logic on a small grid. No sign-up.

⬇ Download all 10 as one PDF — free, no sign-up

Futoshiki puts the numbers 1 to 4 into a 4x4 grid with no repeats in any row or column, and then adds the twist that gives it its name: the greater-than and less-than signs printed between some pairs of cells must be obeyed. On a grid this small the signs do nearly all the work. A chain of three signs pointing the same way settles three cells outright, because only one arrangement of 1, 2, 3 and 4 can keep increasing. It is a genuinely good first inequality puzzle.

One 4x4 futoshiki grid per page with the inequality signs printed clearly between cells and enough space around them that a written digit never sits on top of a sign. Every puzzle has an answer page with the completed grid. Black and white on US Letter, one puzzle per sheet, so a set for a whole class is a single print job.

Futoshiki 4x4 01 Futoshiki 4x4 01Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 02 Futoshiki 4x4 02Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 03 Futoshiki 4x4 03Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 04 Futoshiki 4x4 04Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 05 Futoshiki 4x4 05Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 06 Futoshiki 4x4 06Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 07 Futoshiki 4x4 07Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 08 Futoshiki 4x4 08Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 09 Futoshiki 4x4 09Download PDF ↓ Futoshiki 4x4 10 Futoshiki 4x4 10Download PDF ↓

Related printables

Futoshiki Puzzles — 5x5Futoshiki Puzzles — 6x6Futoshiki Puzzles — 7x7

Frequently asked questions

What do the arrows or signs mean in futoshiki?
Each sign points at the smaller of the two cells it sits between. So A > B means the number in A is larger than the number in B. The signs only apply to the two cells directly on either side of them — they say nothing about cells further along the row.
How do I start a 4x4 futoshiki?
Find the longest chain of signs all pointing the same direction. On a 4x4, a chain of three cells that keeps increasing must be some run of consecutive-ish values, and a chain of four is completely forced as 1, 2, 3, 4. Also, any cell at the small end of a sign cannot be a 4, and any cell at the large end cannot be a 1.
Is futoshiki the same as sudoku?
It shares one rule — no repeated numbers in a row or column — but futoshiki has no boxes or regions, and it adds the inequality signs. Because there are usually fewer given numbers, the signs rather than the givens are what you solve from.
What age is a 4x4 futoshiki suitable for?
Roughly ages 8 and up as an editorial suggestion, and it doubles as a painless way to practice reading the greater-than and less-than symbols, which children often mix up on a worksheet but rarely do once they are solving a puzzle with them.