How to Say Sudoku? A Pronunciation Guide

Sudoku is a popular game. Before diving into how to pronounce the name, let's first look into its fascinating history.

History

Magic squares are the predecessors to Sudoku, but the true modern puzzle was not invented in Japan (as commonly assumed). In fact, the first Sudoku game was published in Dell Magazines beginning in 1979. Its original name was Number Places.

The puzzle was introduced to Japan as Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru (数字は独身に限る). This name can be roughly translated to “the numbers must be alone.” Then, the name of the game was abbreviated to Sudoku (数独).

Sudoku Isn’t Called Sudoku In Japan

A fun fact is that the game we call Sudoku is still widely known by its original name in Japan. This is because “Sudoku” is registered as a trademark within the country. Therefore, in Japan, you would play Nanbāpurēsu (ナンバープレース) instead.

Pronunciation of Sudoku

Finally, here is a video explaining how to pronounce Sudoku:

And, if you want to play Sudoku, you can play here.