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Kumiki Puzzle

Joined wood, without a nail or a drop of glue.

Kumiki puzzles come from the Japanese tradition of building with interlocking timber. Each one is a small wooden figure, an animal, a plane, a boat, that comes apart into pieces and asks you to build it again. Ours are cut and fitted by hand in our Thai workshop, so every joint closes cleanly and the finished figure is worth keeping on display.

Explore by craft: Burr · Kumiki · Tangram · Disentanglement · Cube puzzles

The Japanese art of joined wood

Kumiki translates roughly as "assembled wood". The puzzles grew out of Japanese joinery, the craft that raised temples and houses from timber locked together without nails. Puzzle makers turned the same principle into small objects: animals, vehicles, buildings and abstract forms, each held together only by the way its pieces interlock. Solving one teaches you how the joints work. One piece releases, the rest follow, and rebuilding means understanding the order they belong in.

Read more: A History of Kumiki Puzzles

Puzzles that become objects

A good kumiki is two things at once: a challenge in the hand, and a piece worth keeping on a shelf once it's solved. That's why we finish every figure as carefully as the joints inside it, with clean edges, smooth faces and pieces that fit snugly without force. Each is backed by our lifetime guarantee.

Which kumiki puzzle should I choose?

Your first kumiki: Galactic. Six pieces at easy difficulty, and a satisfying first solve.
Also a good start: Lindbergh's Spirit. A nine-piece monoplane at beginner level.
A gift with character: Little Pig. Thirteen pieces of monkeypod. Intermediate.
A bigger build: Bateau Boat. Sixteen pieces that reward patience.
For display: Ascher. Twelve pieces that reassemble into a lotus flower.

Want to go deeper? A history of kumiki puzzles · Interlocking puzzles: the 101 · Displaying your completed wooden puzzles

Frequently asked questions

What does kumiki mean?
Roughly "assembled wood" in Japanese. It describes puzzles held together only by interlocking joints, with no glue or nails.

Are kumiki puzzles suitable for children?
The beginner figures, like Galactic and Lindbergh's Spirit, make a good first puzzle for older children and adults alike.

Are solutions included?
Yes.

What's the difference between kumiki and burr puzzles?
Burrs are a particular kind of interlocking puzzle built from notched sticks around a central point. Kumiki is the wider Japanese family, and many are figures such as animals and vehicles. See our burr puzzles.