Can you solve this ‘iconic Japanese puzzle’ that left a Reddit user stumped?

Riddles and puzzles are the perfect ways to challenge yourself and stimulate your brain. Reddit is a platform where you can find various brain teasers to keep you engaged and entertained for hours. One such post was shared on the subreddit r/puzzles by an individual. It challenges a person to find the missing number in a visual. Can you solve it in 10 seconds without getting stumped?

“The Japanese puzzle inventor Nob Yoshigahara considered this puzzle his masterpiece. The numbers below are arranged according to a certain rule. Once you've worked out the rule, fill in the missing number. The number seven in the final circle is not a typographical error,” reads a text insert on the visual. It is posted with a caption, “I couldn't figure this out.”

Also Read: Easy puzzle challenges you to find sum total of 11 hidden sides of 3 dice. Can you solve it?

Can you figure out what’s going on in this puzzle?

Since being shared months ago, the puzzle has been re-shared by many across various social media platforms. On Reddit, it accumulated close to 5,600 upvotes.

What did Reddit users share about this viral brain teaser?

“Discussion: The misleading pattern is to assume you take the difference of the two numbers. Instead, you should take the sum of the digits from the two numbers above. 2+1 + 3+6 = 12,” suggested a Reddit user.

“The whole point is that it seems universal until the last one. He sets up a pattern that's more obvious, and then suddenly subverts and you have to try to look past the first thing you saw. That's what makes it interesting, and not just some random ‘find what operation this is’, puzzle,” added another.

Also Read: Only those with high IQ can see the hidden numbers in this brain teaser shared on Instagram. Can you?

A third commented, “Subtracting felt like too much work so I didn't even try. My lazy brain checked the simple addition first.”

A fourth wrote, “Work top down following the arrows. But add the digits of the two preceding numbers to get the next number being pointed to. 1+3 + 2+1 = 7”.

Do you love solving brain teasers? Did you enjoy this one shared on Reddit?