Same Puzzle, Different Names

Nonogram and Picross are the same game. Both are picture logic puzzles played on a grid, using number clues on the rows and columns to reveal a hidden image by filling in the correct cells. If you know how to play one, you already know how to play the other.

The difference is purely in naming. Where you encounter the puzzle — which country, which platform, which publisher — determines what it is called. This guide explains exactly where each name comes from and what other names the same puzzle goes by.

The Origins of "Nonogram"

The word nonogram is a portmanteau coined by the Japanese puzzle designer Non Ishida, who invented the format in the late 1980s. In 1987 she published a puzzle in a Japanese magazine under the name "Window Art Puzzles." The name nonogram combines her first name (Non) with the Greek suffix -gram (something drawn or written).

Around the same time, Israeli puzzle designer Tetsuya Nishio independently created an identical format. Both are credited as co-inventors of the modern nonogram. The term nonogram became the standard in international puzzle communities.

The Origins of "Picross"

Picross is a portmanteau of Picture and Crossword. Nintendo licensed the puzzle format and launched the Mario's Picross game for the Game Boy in 1995 in Japan. The game was later released in Europe and North America, making "Picross" the dominant term among console and handheld game players.

Nintendo has published dozens of Picross titles since then — Picross DS, Picross 3D, Picross e, Picross S, and more. For anyone who grew up playing these games, "Picross" is the natural name for the puzzle type, regardless of who publishes it.

Other Names for the Same Puzzle

Depending on where you play, you may also encounter these names for the exact same puzzle:

• Griddlers — popular in European puzzle books and on the Griddlers.net website, used widely in the Netherlands, Germany, and Israel.
• Hanjie — the name used by British puzzle magazines such as Puzzler and Take a Break.
• Paint by Numbers — used by some US puzzle book publishers, referencing the paint-by-number art kits the finished images resemble.
• Oekaki / Oekaki-Logic — an early Japanese name still used in some Japanese puzzle communities. Oekaki means "drawing" in Japanese.
• Crucipixel — the Italian name for the puzzle, used in Italian puzzle magazines.
• Logimage — used in some French puzzle publications.

Are There Any Actual Differences?

The rules are identical across all names. Any apparent differences come from the platform or publisher, not from the puzzle type itself:

• Grid size: Nintendo's Picross games tend to use 15×15 grids. Web-based nonograms vary from 5×5 to 25×25 or larger.
• Color: Standard nonograms and Picross are black and white. Some variants use colors (Color Nonogram, Color Picross) where different colors correspond to different number clues.
• Mechanics: Nintendo's Picross games have a time penalty system. Web nonograms often use a lives system. The underlying logic is unchanged.
• 3D: Nintendo created Picross 3D, a variant played on a 3D grid. This is a genuine variant with different rules — not just a renamed version of the classic puzzle.

Which Name Should You Use?

Both are correct. Use whichever term is most common in your context. In online puzzle communities and academic discussions, nonogram is the more neutral and widely recognized term. In gaming contexts, Picross is often better understood due to Nintendo's long-running game series.

Search engines index both terms, so searching for either will find the same type of puzzle. This site uses "nonogram" as the primary term while recognizing all its equivalents.

Ready to Play?

Whether you call it nonogram, Picross, Griddlers, or Hanjie — the puzzle awaits. Start with an easy puzzle if you are new to the format, or jump straight to hard or expert if you are an experienced solver.