# nurikabe

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A Japanese logic puzzle with a rectangular grid of squares, some of them numbered; the solver is challenged to fill in a subset of squares (under certain constraints) such that each numbered square finally indicates the number of unfilled squares contiguous to it.

## Etymology
From Japanese ぬりかべ (nurikabe, “an invisible wall in Japanese folklore that blocks roads and delays travel on foot”).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/nurikabe