Every row and every column has a clue. The numbers tell you how many cells in that line are filled in, in order, with at least one empty cell between each run.
Above is a solved 5×5 heart puzzle. Read it from the clues:
• Top row clue "1 1" — one filled cell, at least one empty cell, then another filled cell. Look at the top row: two filled cells separated by empty ones.
• Rows 2 & 3 clue "5" — five cells filled in a row, no gaps. The whole row is solid.
• Middle column clue "4" — four filled cells in that column, going down. Look at the center column: the top cell is empty, then four filled cells down to the bottom.
On a blank puzzle, you combine both the row clue AND the column clue for every cell to deduce which cells must be filled. Every Hanjie puzzle has exactly one solution you can find by pure logic — no guessing needed.
Desktop: Left-click fills a cell, right-click marks it empty. Arrow keys move the cursor; Space fills; X marks empty; Z undoes; H uses a hint; M mutes sound.
Mobile: Tap the FILL / CROSS toggle button above the grid to switch what taps do, then tap cells.
PUZZLE COMPLETE
Hanjie is a logic puzzle on a grid of squares. Each row and column carries a short list of numbers describing the lengths of consecutive filled runs in that line, in order. Deduce which cells must be filled and which must stay empty until every clue is satisfied, revealing a pixel picture underneath. No guessing is required; each puzzle has a single logical solution.
Left-click (or tap in FILL mode) to fill a cell. Right-click (or tap in CROSS mode) to mark a cell as empty — crosses are a memory aid and do not count toward any clue. On mobile, the FILL / CROSS toggle above the grid switches input modes. Pick difficulty from the start menu: Casual (random 10×10), Daily (one 10×10 shared worldwide each UTC day), or Hard (15×15). A tutorial overlay walks you through a whole solved example before you start.
For fans of Picross and Mario's Picross-style nonogram puzzles, this version is free online and plays in your browser. Nonogram, Hanjie and Picross all refer to the same genre — the word changes depending on where you grew up. This version leans into a neon cosmic aesthetic rather than the flat newspaper look, with glowing clues, a twinkling-star reveal on solve, and a pixel picture underneath each puzzle. A working daily mode gives every player the same seeded 10×10 grid each UTC day. Three difficulty tiers, a whole-board tutorial overlay, and full keyboard controls round it out. No sign-up, no ads, no downloads — unlike Nintendo's paid Picross titles on Switch and the mobile nonogram apps that interrupt you with video ads between boards.
The genre was invented independently in 1987 by Japanese graphics editor Non Ishida and puzzle designer Tetsuya Nishio. James Dalgety brought the format to the UK, where it was first published as "Paint by Numbers" in The Sunday Telegraph in 1990 and later branded "Hanjie". Nintendo licensed the format for Mario's Picross on Game Boy in 1995, cementing the name most Western gamers know.
