sudoku
/suːˈdoʊ.kuː/
Japanese Origin
Games
Original Word
数独
Kanji (sūdoku)
Entered English
2000s
First recorded usage in English
The Story Behind "sudoku"
From Japanese 'sūdoku' (数独), short for 'sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru' (the digits must remain single). The number puzzle was popularized in Japan in the 1980s before becoming a global phenomenon in the 2000s.
Example Usage
"She solves a sudoku puzzle every morning with her coffee."