# Mahoujin - Magic Square — Teaches how, not the answer

> Teaches how, not the answer (iPhone/iPad app by Takashi Iwasaki.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahoujin-magic-square/id6811444372 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Takashi Iwasaki](https://appshunter.io/developer/1868144425)
- Category: Education, Games, Family, Puzzle
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.4 · 29 MB
- Languages: Japanese
- Released: 2026-09-18
- Data updated: 2026-10-07
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mahoujin-magic-square/id6811444372/reviews.md

## What is Mahoujin?

Every row, column and diagonal adds up to the same number. That is a magic square.

But this app does not just hand you a board. It withholds the target sum, lets your child find it from a line that is already complete, and — when they get stuck — helps in three steps: the line, then the equation, then the answer.


■ It teaches the method first

"ときかたを おぼえよう" on the home screen runs a seven-step lesson on a fixed teaching board that uses the same numbers as the first level: 1-9, with a total of 15. It starts by finding a line that already has three numbers and working out the common total (if the line is hard to spot, the "おしえて" button lights it up cell by cell). Progress is saved, so a child can stop and come back to the same step.


■ The total is not given away

On the two harder levels the target sum stays hidden, and so does every line total, until your child adds up a complete line and enters what they found. That single move is what turns "a rule someone told me" into something understood by hand.


■ Hints stop at the equation

The first press outlines the line to look at. The second shows it as an equation — 7 + ? + 3 = 15. Only the third gives the number. The button label changes from "ヒント" to "もう すこし" to "こたえを みる", so a child can see what the next press will give and choose to keep thinking. Stars are never reduced for using hints.


■ A wrong answer points at a cell, not at the answer

When a number is wrong, the app selects the cell to revisit and builds the equation from the neighbouring values that are already correct. A child is never asked to calculate from a mistaken premise.


■ Three levels

- First steps: 3 empty cells, target shown. The first three puzzles use 1-9 (total 15); from the fourth on, totals range from 15 to 30
- Normal: 5 empty cells, find the target yourself
- Challenge: 5 empty cells, larger numbers

Levels open from the bottom up: solving one First steps puzzle opens Normal, and solving one Normal puzzle opens Challenge.

On Normal and Challenge, the complete line is always a row or a column. Every board is generated on the device and verified to be solvable one cell at a time — 1,000 puzzles per level are checked automatically.


■ Charms to collect

One star per puzzle solved. Eight charms appear as the stars add up, and the title grows with them. Pick which charm sits on the home screen. Colour themes unlock along the way. Charms come only from solving puzzles; there is nothing to buy.


■ Adjustable

- Target total: shown, or found by the child (even on First steps, play can start by working out the total)
- Line totals: automatic, always shown, or hidden
- Next cell: prefer empty cells, or follow position
- Motion: match the device, or reduce effects
- Sound: off at first. Turn it on with the speaker button at the top right; sound effects then play even when the ring/silent switch is set to silent

The rounded Japanese typeface ships inside the app, and text wraps at meaningful breaks. Everything runs on the device, so it works with no signal.


■ Never rushed

There is no timer and nothing that counts consecutive days. A child can spend as long as they like on one cell. Ask them not whether they were faster than yesterday, but whether a line that puzzled them yesterday makes sense today.

Solved puzzles and collected charms stay on the device. Nothing is sent anywhere.

Suggested age: 6 to 8 years old.


## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.0.2 — 2026-10-06

- The app is now called "さんすうまほうじん" (Sansu Mahoujin) on the Japanese store and on the Home Screen, so it is easier to find alongside our other math app, "さんすうカード". Gameplay and saved progress are unchanged
- Settings now include an "About this app" section with the version number and a contact form for parents

### 1.0.1 — 2026-09-20

Easier to pick up and play.

- The lesson board now uses the same numbers as the first level (1-9, total 15), so what a child learns carries straight into the puzzles
- The first lesson step no longer leaves a child stuck: the new "おしえて" button lights up the complete line cell by cell
- First steps is no longer always 15: from the fourth puzzle on, totals range from 15 to 30 (still 3 empty cells with the target shown)
- New setting "うえの ごうけい": choose "じぶんで みつける" to have the child work out the total even on First steps
- Levels now open from the bottom up (levels you have already played stay open)
- Larger board and number buttons on bigger iPhones
- When an answer is wrong, the guidance now appears in a single line right above the board
- Added motion for screen changes and correct answers (can be reduced in Settings)
- With sound turned on, effects now play even when the ring/silent switch is set to silent
- The Forest, Ocean and Sunset themes now colour the board and number buttons too
- Fixed several places where a tap looked as if it did nothing

### 1.0 — 2026-09-18

No release notes.

## More apps by Takashi Iwasaki

- [深淵神経 - Abyss Neuron](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/abyss-neuron/id6798227348)
- [いっこふえた Nova Dot: Brain Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-dot-brain-game/id6802919297)
- [Block Tsumetsume](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/block-tsumetsume/id6808888294)
- [Kadokado Tiles](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kadokado-tiles/id6808888894)
- [Afterbot](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/afterbot/id6808967271)

All apps by Takashi Iwasaki: https://appshunter.io/developer/1868144425

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-07.*