Shikaku Puzzles — 7x7

Free printable 7x7 shikaku puzzles in PDF, with answer pages. A step up from 5x5 with longer chains of deduction. No sign-up, no email.

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Seven by seven is the size where shikaku stops being a shape-fitting exercise and starts being a logic puzzle. Forty-nine cells give the clue numbers room to compete: two candidate rectangles for a 6 may both look legal until you notice that one of them strands a corner cell no other number can reach. Solvers who cleared the 5x5 sheets in a couple of minutes usually spend eight to fifteen on one of these. Bring a pencil rather than a pen — the first pass is rarely the last.

One 7x7 shikaku grid per page, printed at a size that leaves room to sketch a rectangle, erase it and try another. Clue numbers sit centered in their cells so a drawn border never runs through a digit. Each puzzle has a matching answer page with the finished partition drawn in. Black and white throughout, sized for US Letter.

Shikaku 7x7 Easy 01 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 01Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 02 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 02Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 03 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 03Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 04 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 04Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 05 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 05Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 06 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 06Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 07 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 07Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 08 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 08Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 09 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 09Download PDF ↓ Shikaku 7x7 Easy 10 Shikaku 7x7 Easy 10Download PDF ↓

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Shikaku Puzzles — 10x10Shikaku Puzzles — 12x12Shikaku Puzzles — 5x5Shikaku

Frequently asked questions

How do I know when a rectangle is wrong?
Two signals. First, it swallows a second clue number, which is never allowed. Second, it cuts off a pocket of empty cells that no remaining number can fill, either because the pocket is the wrong size or because no clue can reach it. Checking for stranded pockets after each placement catches most mistakes early.
Can two rectangles in a shikaku share an edge?
Yes, and most of them do. The only restrictions are that rectangles cannot overlap and cannot contain more than one number. Sharing a border is normal, and a finished grid usually looks like a tiled floor with no gaps.
Does every shikaku have just one answer?
A properly constructed shikaku has exactly one valid partition, which is what makes the deductions reliable — if two answers existed you would be guessing. The answer page in each set shows that solution.
Is 7x7 too hard for a classroom?
It works well as an early-finisher activity from around age 9 or 10, as an editorial guide. If you want something the whole group can finish in one sitting, print the 5x5 sheets for most of the class and keep 7x7 for the solvers who want more.