How to Play DangoChains
DangoChains is a daily word-grouping puzzle for people learning Japanese, in the spirit of Connections. Each board has 16 Japanese words. Your job is to find the four hidden groups of four words that belong together.
The rules
- Tap 4 words, then press Submit. If all four belong to the same group, the group is revealed with its Japanese name and English meaning.
- “One away” means 3 of your 4 words belong together.
- You have 6 tries. The last two are golden: finish with a golden try to spare and you earn a Golden Dango. Run out of tries and the board is lost.
- Furigana (readings) appear above every kanji. Turn them off in Settings for a bigger challenge.
Group colors, easiest to trickiest
| Color | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| 🩷 Pink | Easy |
| 🧡 Orange | Medium |
| 💚 Green | Hard |
| 🩶 Gray | Expert |
An example
On the board in the screenshot on our home page, two groups are already solved: 上に着るもの (things you wear on top: シャツ, セーター, コート, ジャケット) and 下に履くもの (things you wear on the bottom: ズボン, スカート, パンツ, ジーンズ). Eight words are left: ヘルメット, 靴下 (くつした), 帽子 (ぼうし), サンダル, ブーツ, 靴 (くつ), キャップ and ハット. Can you split them into the last two groups? (Hint: think head and feet.)
Three puzzles every day
- Easy: everyday vocabulary and kana-friendly groups
- Normal: the classic challenge, roughly JLPT N4–N3
- Hard: idioms, kanji compounds and cultural references, N2 and up
A new set arrives at local midnight. After each game you can review all four groups with readings and English names, and share an emoji grid of your guesses with no spoilers.
Play today’s three in your browser: no install, and the last 7 days are free there too. Teaching a class? Make your own board from 16 words and share it as one link.
Get the app
DangoChains is free on Google Play and the App Store. No account, no ads and no tracking in the app. Past puzzles live in the archive, a one-time unlock with no subscription.