# Sumi: Zen Sudoku — Quiet sudoku. Daily practice.

> Minimalist Sudoku game with a focus on calm, daily practice and Zen aesthetics. (iPhone/iPad app by Karan Sharma.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumi-zen-sudoku/id6764288103 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Karan Sharma](https://appshunter.io/developer/1782996195)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Casual, Puzzle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.2 · 78 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-15
- Data updated: 2026-08-18
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumi-zen-sudoku/id6764288103/reviews.md

## What is Sumi?

墨 Sumi is sudoku, stripped of noise.

No leaderboards. No streaks that shame you. No timers ticking in your face. Just a nine by nine grid, drawn in warm ink on washipaper, waiting for your next move.

FIVE LEVELS OF PRACTICE
Five difficulties, from your first quiet solve to the edge of mastery. Each level is a different conversation with the grid.

1. Easy and Medium: unhurried, forgiving.
2. Hard: where focus begins to matter.
3. Master and Edo: for those who have earned stillness.

A DAILY HABIT
Open Sumi each day. Solve one puzzle. Watch your streak grow, your times sharpen. The Practice Log tracks your progress with a clean improvement curve. No gamification. Just the graph.

YOUR SEASON, YOUR PALETTE
Choose a season at first launch: Spring, Summer, Autumn, or Winter. Each shifts the accent colour that breathes through the interface. Change it anytime in Settings.

SUMI PRO - Unlock the full practice:
1. The Library: a curated collection of passages from Zen masters, philosophers, and makers. One surfaces each day.
2. Design Zen Sudoku: build a print-ready A5 puzzle book. Pick your difficulty mix, your paper colour, your ink. Export as PDF and
print.
3. Full improvement history and personal bests at every difficulty.
4. No Ads
One-time purchase. No subscription. No renewal.

ABOUT THE NAME
墨 (sumi) is the ink used in traditional Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e painting. Ground from a solid inkstick, mixed with water, applied with patience. The name describes the aesthetic: deliberate, unhurried, lasting.

Ink on paper. No chrome. No noise. Nine by nine, every day.

## Key features

- Minimalist Sudoku interface
- Five difficulty levels
- Daily puzzle practice
- Progress tracking log
- Seasonal color themes
- Printable puzzle book creation (Pro)
- Zen master quotes (Pro)

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sumi Pro | $2.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (1 of 1)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sumi-zen-sudoku/id6764288103/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Beautiful and Calming

*2026-05-26*

A beautiful game. Calm and focused. This is a game which helps me calm down when my mind has just gone through a hectic day. It helps me to be clear present and centered.

## Frequently asked questions about Sumi

### Does Sumi have ads?

Yes, the free version of Sumi contains advertisements. Users can remove ads by purchasing Sumi Pro, which is a one-time purchase.

### What is the short name for Sumi: Zen Sudoku?

The short common name for Sumi: Zen Sudoku is Sumi. This is derived by removing the subtitle and colon from the full app name.

### How many difficulty levels does Sumi offer?

Sumi offers five distinct difficulty levels for Sudoku puzzles: Easy, Medium, Hard, Master, and Edo. These levels cater to a range of player skills, from beginners to advanced players.

### Can I play Sumi offline?

The provided data does not specify whether Sumi can be played offline. However, many Sudoku games offer offline functionality for their core puzzles.

### What is included in Sumi Pro?

Sumi Pro unlocks The Library of Zen master quotes, allows you to design and export a print-ready Sudoku puzzle book, provides full improvement history, and removes all ads. It is a one-time purchase.

### What devices is Sumi available on?

Sumi is available on iPhone and iPad devices. The app is rated for ages 4 and up.

### How often is Sumi updated?

Sumi was last updated on July 26, 2026, with version 1.4. This indicates a relatively recent update, suggesting ongoing support and development.

### What is the main appeal of Sumi compared to other Sudoku apps?

Sumi's main appeal lies in its minimalist, noise-free design, focusing on a calm and deliberate Sudoku experience. It avoids common gamification elements like leaderboards and streaks, emphasizing quiet practice and aesthetic design.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.4 — 2026-07-26

Easier on the eyes.

Pencil marks are bigger now. The small candidate numbers inside each square have grown, so a square full of notes is easy to read at a glance without squinting or zooming.

Small polish under the hood too, so puzzles keep loading quickly.

### 1.3 — 2026-07-07

Calmer to read, smarter to play.

Pick up where you left off — your game is saved automatically, even days later
Pencil marks now clean themselves up as you place numbers
A clearer board: bigger numbers, bolder grid lines, easier on the eyes
The board blooms onto the screen like ink spreading on paper
Opens faster and resumes instantly
Hints now point you to the next logical move, not just a random answer
Long-press the Notes button to fill in candidates for you
Redo is here — undo your undo
New in Settings: extra-legible numerals, show conflicts only, digit-first entry, and an optional lives mode

### 1,2 — 2026-06-16

Calmer to read, smarter to play.

- Pencil marks are saved and tidy themselves up as you play
- Clearer board: larger, fixed-size numbers and bolder grid lines
- Smarter hints that show the next logical square
- Long-press Notes to auto-fill candidates
- Redo
- New in Settings: high-legibility numerals, conflicts-only highlighting, digit-first input, and lives mode
- Timer pauses in the background and remembers your square

### v1.1 — 2026-05-20

v1.1

A wider board, a calmer reveal, and a screen that won't sleep mid-solve.
Your weekly tally now counts puzzles, not days.
Quietly more honest.

### 1.0 — 2026-05-15

No release notes.

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## More apps by Karan Sharma

- [Krail - Sydney Trains, Buses](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/krail-sydney-trains-buses/id6738934832)
- [HueZoo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/huezoo/id6761459879)

All apps by Karan Sharma: https://appshunter.io/developer/1782996195

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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 2026-08-18.*