Amidakuji (Ghost Leg Lottery)
Amidakuji, also known as ghost leg or ladder lottery, is a free online drawing you can run right in your browser โ just enter names. The rungs are generated automatically and results are revealed with a path-tracing animation. Use it for assigning duties, seats, prizes, and more.
What is Amidakuji?
Amidakuji ("ghost leg" lottery) is a classic Japanese way to make random one-to-one assignments: everyone picks a vertical line, and following it down โ turning at every rung โ leads each person to a unique outcome.
This tool builds the ladder for you with randomly placed rungs, so there is no need to draw one on paper. The bottom row comes prefilled with one "Win" and the rest "Lose", and you can freely rewrite the outcomes (numbers, penalties, and so on).
When to use Amidakuji
- ๐งน Assigning chores and duties
- ๐บ Deciding seats and room assignments
- ๐ Drawing for prizes and giveaways
- ๐ข Deciding presentation or turn order
- ๐ Choosing who takes the penalty
- ๐ป Livening up parties and events
โจ What makes this Amidakuji different
- No rungs to draw yourselfThe tedious part of a paper Amidakuji is drawing the rungs โ and wondering whether whoever drew them skewed the result. Here the rungs are generated at random every time from the names you enter, so there is nothing to draw and nothing to second-guess.
- Write your own outcomes, or let them be numberedThe bottom row gives you one field per participant, prefilled with a single "Win" and the rest "Lose". Replace them with prize names, chores, or penalties. Any field you leave blank is numbered "1, 2, 3โฆ" automatically, so deciding an order takes no setup at all.
- Two ways to reveal the results"All at once" traces every path together in different colours and announces everything in one go. "One by one" traces only the path of the name you pick, which keeps the pacing of a paper Amidakuji where people draw in turn.
- Nobody can peek and then rearrangeEditing a name or an outcome discards the ladder and starts over. There is no way to look at the results and then move the winning slot, which makes it safe to use for assigning chores or handing out prizes.
- Hand the whole draw over as a linkOnce every result is in, share it and whoever opens the link sees the same ladder and the same outcomes. People who were not in the room can see exactly how the draw went.
- The names stay on your deviceThe names and outcomes you enter are stored only in your own browser. They are never sent to our server, so real names stay with you, and everything is restored the next time you open the page.
๐ How to Use
- ๐ "Single entry" mode adds one name at a time (press Enter or the "Add" button).
- ๐ "Bulk entry" mode adds multiple names at once, one per line.
- ๐ฅ From 2 up to a maximum of 12 participants can join.
- ๐ "Outcomes" shows one field per participant, prefilled with one "Win" and the rest "Lose". Edit them freely; blank fields get "1, 2, 3โฆ" automatically.
- ๐ช Press "Start" to build the ladder. The rungs are placed at random every time.
- ๐ "All at once" traces every path together, while "One by one" lets you pick a name and trace a single path.
- ๐ Press "Redraw" to shuffle the ladder again with the same members.
- ๐ Use "Duration" to adjust how long the tracing animation takes.
- ๐งน "Reset" removes all names and outcomes.
- ๐ For full terms of use, please see our Terms of Service.
โ FAQ
- Is Amidakuji free to use?
- It is free. There is no account to create and nothing to install โ enter the names, press "Start", and draw.
- How does amidakuji (ghost leg) work?
- You draw one vertical line per participant and scatter random horizontal rungs between them โ this is what English speakers call a ghost leg, a ladder lottery, or a ladder game. Start at the top of your line and follow it down, hopping across to the neighbouring line every time you meet a rung. Wherever you end up is your outcome. Because the lines pair up one-to-one, no two people can land on the same result.
- Are the results fair?
- The rungs are placed at random every time, and by the nature of Amidakuji each starting point always maps to exactly one outcome. Editing a name or an outcome after the ladder is built discards it and starts over, so there is no way to look at the results first and then move the winning slot.
- Are the names I enter saved?
- The names and outcomes you enter are stored in your own browser and are still there on your next visit. They stay on your device and are never sent to our server. The ladder and the traced paths themselves are not saved, so they disappear when you close the page.
- Can I show the result to someone who was not there?
- Once every result is in, sharing creates a link that reproduces the same ladder and the same outcomes. Whoever opens it can see which line led where, exactly as you saw it.
- How many people can join?
- From 2 to 12. Twelve is the upper limit because that is where names stay readable and lines stay easy to tap at smartphone widths.