Tangram

A tangram is seven pieces cut from one square. Use all seven, make anything.

Tangram
Pieces7, cut from one square
Shapes5 triangles, square, parallelogram
Reached the WestEarly 1800s, on trading ships
PlayersOne, or race a friend

Solve a tangram in three moves

1

Use every piece

All seven go in, lying flat. No overlaps, no pieces left over. That is the whole rule.

2

Place the big triangles first

The two large triangles fill half the area, so they decide the shape. Find where they go, then fit the small ones.

3

Flip the parallelogram

It is the only piece with a mirror image. If a figure will not close, turn it over.

Seven pieces. Thousands of figures.

Choosing a good set

选Pieces that slide back into a perfect square with no gaps.
选A book or cards showing outlines only, with answers kept separate.
选Smooth hardwood or thick acrylic, so corners stay sharp.
选Magnetic pieces for road trips.

Tangram

Hand-picked pieces are on the way.

Good to know

What are the rules of tangram?

Use all seven pieces to match a silhouette. Pieces must lie flat, touch each other and never overlap.

Where did tangrams come from?

Tangrams came from China. The earliest known puzzle books appeared there in the early 1800s, and the game soon spread overseas.

How many shapes can you make with a tangram?

Thousands of figures, from cats to boats to people. Only 13 convex shapes are possible, a result two mathematicians proved in 1942.

Keep exploring