Tangram
Print a tangram set and 25 tangram puzzles to solve with it. A tangram is a square cut into 7 pieces: 2 large triangles, 1 medium triangle, 2 small triangles, 1 square and 1 parallelogram. Choose the size of the square in inches or centimetres, coloured or outline pieces (to colour in first), and the puzzles you want: shapes, animals, objects or free shapes. Each puzzle card shows a black silhouette to make with all 7 pieces, and each answer card shows where every piece goes. The answers are drawn from the same piece positions that make the silhouette, so every puzzle is checked to work. With one puzzle per page the silhouettes print at the size of your pieces, so children can lay the pieces straight on top. Nothing is uploaded.
100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Print at 100% (Actual size). Page 1 is the pieces to cut out, then the puzzle cards, then the answer cards. With one puzzle per page the shapes are the size of your pieces, so children can lay the pieces on top.
Pieces
Puzzles
Runs in your browser with our own code: nothing is uploaded or saved. The puzzles are our own, each made from the 7 pieces. You may use what you make here, including commercially, with no credit needed.
How to print and play tangram puzzles
- Choose the size of the square and coloured or outline pieces.
- Choose the puzzles (all, shapes, animals, objects or free shapes) and how many per page.
- Download the PDF and print at 100% (Actual size), on card stock for the pieces if you can.
- Cut the pieces out along the black lines.
- Make each silhouette with all 7 pieces, then check the answer pages.
What you can use it for
- Maths lessons on shapes, area and fractions
- Quiet-time and travel puzzles for children
- Early finishers and learning centres
- Party and rainy-day activities
- Spatial reasoning practice for all ages
- A gift: print on card, cut and pack in an envelope
The 7 tangram pieces
| Piece | How many | Area (square = 16) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large triangle | 2 | 4 | 1/4 of the square |
| Medium triangle | 1 | 2 | 1/8 of the square |
| Small triangle | 2 | 1 | 1/16 of the square |
| Square | 1 | 2 | 1/8 of the square |
| Parallelogram | 1 | 2 | 1/8 of the square |
Total: 2 × 4 + 2 + 2 × 1 + 2 + 2 = 16, the whole square. Our tests check these areas and that the pieces of every puzzle add up to the same 16 with no overlap.
The 25 tangram puzzles
| # | Puzzle | Type | Size (units) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Square | Shape | 4 × 4 |
| 2 | Triangle | Shape | 8 × 4 |
| 3 | Parallelogram | Shape | 8 × 4 |
| 4 | Hexagon | Shape | 6 × 4 |
| 5 | Tilted rectangle | Shape | 6 × 6 |
| 6 | Cat | Animal | 7 × 6 |
| 7 | Fish | Animal | 6 × 6 |
| 8 | Snail | Animal | 6 × 5 |
| 9 | Ship | Object | 8 × 4 |
| 10 | Candle | Object | 4 × 9 |
| 11 | Free shape 1 | Free shape | 8 × 6 |
| 12 | Free shape 2 | Free shape | 8 × 6 |
| 13 | Free shape 3 | Free shape | 6 × 6 |
| 14 | Free shape 4 | Free shape | 8 × 6 |
| 15 | Free shape 5 | Free shape | 4 × 8 |
| 16 | Free shape 6 | Free shape | 6 × 7 |
| 17 | Free shape 7 | Free shape | 5 × 7 |
| 18 | Free shape 8 | Free shape | 4 × 8 |
| 19 | Free shape 9 | Free shape | 5 × 6 |
| 20 | Free shape 10 | Free shape | 7 × 6 |
| 21 | Free shape 11 | Free shape | 8 × 4 |
| 22 | Free shape 12 | Free shape | 6 × 6 |
| 23 | Free shape 13 | Free shape | 7 × 6 |
| 24 | Free shape 14 | Free shape | 6 × 6 |
| 25 | Free shape 15 | Free shape | 5 × 7 |
Size is in grid units, where the square of pieces is 4 × 4. Every puzzle uses all 7 pieces.
What prints
| Page | What is on it |
|---|---|
| Pieces | As many full sets as fit on the page at your size, coloured or outline, with cut lines |
| Puzzles | 1, 2, 4 or 6 silhouette cards per page, all at the same scale; at one per page, the size of your pieces when they fit |
| Answers | 6 answer cards per page showing where each piece goes |
For more paper puzzles, try the Maze Generator or the Word Search Maker.
Which tool to use
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Tangram pieces and shape puzzles | Tangram (this page) |
| Pentomino pieces and board puzzles | Pentominoes |
| A jigsaw from your own picture | Jigsaw Puzzle Generator |
| 3-D shapes to fold from paper | Shape Nets |
Also handy: the Jigsaw Puzzle Generator and Shape Nets for 3-D paper models.
More free tools
Puzzles, paper crafts and printables?
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Frequently asked questions
What is a tangram?
A puzzle made of 7 flat pieces cut from a square: 2 large triangles, a medium triangle, 2 small triangles, a square and a parallelogram. You use all 7 pieces, without overlapping them, to make a shape shown only as a silhouette.
What are the rules?
Use all 7 pieces in every puzzle. Pieces must lie flat, touch and not overlap. You may turn pieces around and flip them over (the parallelogram is the only piece that changes when flipped).
How big is each piece?
In a square of side 4 units: each large triangle is 1/4 of the square, the medium triangle, the square and the parallelogram are 1/8 each, and each small triangle is 1/16. Two small triangles make the square, the medium triangle or the parallelogram, which is a good first puzzle.
What size should I print?
6 in (15 cm) is good for small hands. Choose one puzzle per page and the silhouettes print at the size of your pieces whenever they fit, so the pieces can be laid on top; choose a smaller square (3 to 4 in) for more puzzles at full size.
Are the answers included?
Yes. Every one of the 25 puzzles has an answer card, printed on separate pages so you can keep them back. Our tests check that the 7 pieces in each answer do not overlap and fill the silhouette exactly.
Can a tangram puzzle have more than one answer?
Some can, especially simple shapes like the triangle. Any arrangement that fills the silhouette with all 7 pieces counts.
Are these the traditional tangram figures?
No. They are our own arrangements of the 7 pieces: a few named ones (shapes, a cat, a fish, a snail, a ship and a candle) and free shapes that do not stand for anything in particular, which are good for practice. Every puzzle is made by placing the pieces, so they are all solvable.
How is this different from the jigsaw puzzle generator?
The Jigsaw Puzzle Generator cuts your own picture into interlocking pieces. A tangram always uses the same 7 geometric pieces to make many different shapes.
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.