Magnetic Blocks guide
Tangram Shapes: 30 Figures to Make With the 7 Pieces (Animals, People, Objects)
By Muhammad Shahid Khan · · 5 min read
Quick answer
With the seven tangram pieces you can make thousands of figures. Classic ones to start with are the square, triangle and rectangle, animals like the cat, rabbit, swan, fish and horse, people running, sitting and dancing, and objects such as a house, boat, candle and teapot. Every figure must use all seven pieces, touching but not overlapping.
Magnetic BlocksTangram Shape Fit Puzzle Game · Free on the App StoreDownload free →| Pieces | 7: 2 large triangles, 1 medium, 2 small, 1 square, 1 parallelogram |
|---|---|
| Rule | Use all 7, flat, touching, no overlaps |
| Convex shapes possible | 13 |
| Area | 16 small-triangle units in total |
| Easiest start | Square, house, boat, cat |
A tangram is seven flat pieces that fit together into a square. The game is to rearrange them into a silhouette: an animal, a person, an object or a letter. People have been inventing tangram figures for two centuries, and new ones are still being made. Here are thirty to try, grouped by difficulty, and a few tricks that make any of them easier.
I build Magnetic Blocks: Fill & Relax, a free, calm tangram-style puzzle game for iPhone and iPad, and the screenshots here come from it. If you want to try a puzzle as you read, get Magnetic Blocks on the App Store.
What are the seven tangram pieces?
| Piece | How many | Area (small-triangle units) |
|---|---|---|
| Large triangle | 2 | 4 each |
| Medium triangle | 1 | 2 |
| Small triangle | 2 | 1 each |
| Square | 1 | 2 |
| Parallelogram | 1 | 2 |
The total area is 16 units. The rules are simple: use all seven pieces, lay them flat, let them touch, and never overlap. You may rotate and flip any piece. For the history and rules, see the tangram puzzles guide.
Easy tangram shapes (good first figures)
- Square: the original arrangement. Put the two large triangles together to make half of the square first.
- House: a triangle roof on a square body.
- Sailboat: large triangles as sails, a trapezoid hull.
- Arrow: a triangle head on a long body.
- Candle: a tall body with a small flame on top.
- Fish: a diamond body and a triangle tail.
- Mountain: two peaks side by side.
- Tree: stacked triangles on a short trunk.
Animal tangram shapes
- Cat: the square, turned like a diamond, is the head, with two small triangles as ears; the large triangles make the body; the parallelogram is the tail.
- Rabbit: long ears from the parallelogram and a small triangle.
- Swan: the parallelogram makes the long neck.
- Duck: a rounder body and a short beak.
- Dog: four-legged, with a triangle snout.
- Horse: one of the harder animals, with legs from small triangles.
- Camel: two humps from the large triangles.
- Bird in flight: wide wings from the large triangles.
- Turtle: a square-ish shell with small head and legs.
- Bear: a heavy body and a square head.
People tangram shapes
- Running person: legs apart, arms swinging.
- Sitting person: a bent body on a "chair" of triangles.
- Kneeling person: one of the classic 19th-century figures.
- Dancer: one leg raised.
- Skater: leaning forward with arms out.
- Person waving: one triangle arm raised.
Objects and geometric shapes
- Teapot: a body, a spout and a handle.
- Rocket: a tall body with fins.
- Large triangle using all seven pieces.
- Rectangle using all seven pieces.
- Parallelogram using all seven pieces.
- Letters and numbers: try T, L, Z, and the digits 1, 4 and 7.
How many convex shapes can a tangram make?
Exactly 13. In 1942, two mathematicians, Fu Traing Wang and Chuan-Chih Hsiung, proved that the seven pieces can form only 13 convex shapes (shapes with no dents): the square, a triangle, a rectangle, two parallelograms, trapezoids and several pentagons and hexagons. Every other tangram figure has at least one notch or point sticking out.
Tips for building any tangram shape
- Place the two large triangles first. They are half the area, and fit in fewer places.
- Find the sharp 45-degree corners. They are almost always triangle tips.
- If the parallelogram will not fit, flip it. It is the only piece that changes when mirrored.
- Count the area. A gap worth 2 units is the square, the parallelogram, the medium triangle, or both small triangles.
More strategies in 8 strategies to solve shape-fitting puzzles faster.
How Magnetic Blocks helps
- 10,000+ puzzles generated on your device, across 100 chapters and ten difficulty tiers.
- Magnetic snapping: drop a shape near its place and it lines up.
- No clock pushing you, with optional three-star ratings for a clean, fast clear.
- Daily challenges with a streak, and Build Mode for free creative play.
- Hints, undo, auto-rotate and pinch-to-zoom so every puzzle stays approachable.
- Fully offline, rated 4+, with no third-party ads and no tracking.
Download Magnetic Blocks free on the App Store and fill your first silhouette in under a minute.
Frequently asked questions
What shapes can you make with tangrams?
Thousands, including the square, triangle and rectangle, animals like cats, swans and horses, people running or sitting, and objects like houses, boats and teapots.
What are the seven tangram pieces?
Two large triangles, one medium triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram.
What are the rules of tangram?
Use all seven pieces, lay them flat, let them touch, and do not overlap them. You may rotate and flip pieces.
What is the easiest tangram shape?
The square, a house or a sailboat are good first figures.
How do you make a cat with tangrams?
Use the square turned like a diamond for the head, the two small triangles as ears, the large triangles for the body and the parallelogram as the tail.
How many convex shapes can tangrams make?
13, as proved by Wang and Hsiung in 1942.
Can you make a triangle with all seven tangram pieces?
Yes. A large triangle, a rectangle and a parallelogram can all be made from all seven pieces.
What is the area of each tangram piece?
With a small triangle as 1 unit: each large triangle is 4, the medium triangle, square and parallelogram are 2 each. The total is 16.
Why won’t my parallelogram fit?
Try flipping it. The parallelogram is the only piece that changes when mirrored.
Is there a tangram app for iPhone?
Magnetic Blocks is a tangram-style puzzle game for iPhone and iPad, with 10,000+ silhouettes and pieces that snap into place.
Are tangram puzzles good for kids?
Yes. They build shape recognition, spatial reasoning and patience. See the tangram for kids guide.
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