Find a family in the shapes.

In Family Puzzle, group four characters that contain the same approved written component.

A component is a shape you can see

他 · 地 · 她 · 池 each contains 也. It appears beside different parts, making different characters. Their readings are tā, dì, tā and chí: a shared shape does not guarantee the same pronunciation.

We use simplified Chinese and explicit component sets for each board. These are visible structural groupings, not claims about a character’s historical origin. After a run, you can review the components, readings and words.

Three ways to stretch

Warm-up

12 characters, three families. Select four and submit a family. A correct family locks in place.

Getting harder

12 characters, three families. The same submission rules, with less obvious components and positions.

Full board

16 characters, four families. Draft all four groups and submit the whole arrangement. Drafts show only group size and coverage. A valid local group may leave the rest impossible to cover.

Four mistakes, no time limit

A wrong submitted family, or an incorrect whole-board arrangement, uses one mistake. Four mistakes ends the run. Repeating the same submission does not use another mistake. Selecting, deselecting and editing a draft are free.

Help is welcome, and clearly marked

Pinyin and directional hints mark the run as assisted without using a mistake. If a whole-board submission hits the one designed deadlock, the explanation uses no mistake and immediately marks the run assisted. Assisted results have their own rankings.

What counts in a challenge?

Your first started run is your scored attempt for that board version. Replays are practice, even if you abandon the first attempt. Finished sequential runs compare families found, then fewer mistakes. A failed whole-board run is DNF and unranked. Time never breaks ties.