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Origami diagrams that fold for you.
Watch every fold happen on screen, replay any step as often as you like, then print the whole diagram. Cranes, boxes, animals, flowers and toys — all from one square of paper.
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Easy origami for your first folds
Paper Boat
The origami paper boat is a classic folded from a rectangular sheet, passing through a paper hat on the way to a small boat that really floats. It is an easy model that most children and adults finish in about five minutes.
Lucky Star
An origami lucky star is a tiny, puffy five-pointed star made by knotting a long paper strip into a pentagon and wrapping it. It is easy and takes about three minutes, though the final puffing step needs a light touch.
Origami Heart
The origami heart is a flat, symmetrical heart shape folded from one square, ideal for slipping into a card or envelope. It is an easy model that takes around five minutes and uses only simple valley and mountain folds.
Tulip
The origami tulip is a flat flower head made from a single square in three folds, designed to be joined to a separate folded stem. It is one of the easiest models on the site and takes about three minutes.
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The collection
Every diagram, easiest first
Paper Cup
The origami paper cup is a small open container folded from a single square that can briefly hold water or dry snacks. It is one of the easiest origami models and takes about two minutes, making it a classic first project.
Lucky Star
An origami lucky star is a tiny, puffy five-pointed star made by knotting a long paper strip into a pentagon and wrapping it. It is easy and takes about three minutes, though the final puffing step needs a light touch.
Tulip
The origami tulip is a flat flower head made from a single square in three folds, designed to be joined to a separate folded stem. It is one of the easiest models on the site and takes about three minutes.
Tulip Stem
The origami tulip stem is a slim green stalk with an attached leaf, folded from one square to support the origami tulip bloom. It is easy, takes about three minutes, and uses a series of narrowing folds to the center line.
Dog Face
The origami dog face is a simple puppy head with floppy ears folded from one square, and children often draw on eyes and a nose to finish it. It is very easy and takes about three minutes, making it ideal for first-time folders.
Fox Face
The origami fox face is a pointed fox head with tall ears, folded from one square in five steps and finished with drawn eyes and a nose. It is an easy model that takes about three minutes.
Samurai Helmet
The origami samurai helmet, or kabuto, is a traditional Japanese model with two horns and a brim, folded from one square. It is easy, takes about four minutes, and can be made large enough to wear by using a big newspaper square.
Fish
The origami fish is a simple flat fish with a blunt nose and an upturned tail, folded from a kite shape made from one square. It is easy and takes about four minutes, so it suits children and complete beginners.
Paper Boat
The origami paper boat is a classic folded from a rectangular sheet, passing through a paper hat on the way to a small boat that really floats. It is an easy model that most children and adults finish in about five minutes.
Origami Heart
The origami heart is a flat, symmetrical heart shape folded from one square, ideal for slipping into a card or envelope. It is an easy model that takes around five minutes and uses only simple valley and mountain folds.
Butterfly
The origami butterfly is a small model with four wings and a locked body, folded from a square using the waterbomb base. It is a comfortable intermediate model that takes about six minutes and introduces collapsing a base.
Jumping Frog
The origami jumping frog is a traditional action model folded from a stiff rectangle that springs forward when you press and release its back. It is an intermediate model that takes about six minutes, mostly for the collapse and the zigzag spring.
Pinwheel
The origami pinwheel is a flat four-bladed model folded from the traditional windmill base that can be pinned to a stick so it spins in the wind. It is an intermediate model taking about six minutes, with one careful step where hidden corners are pulled out.
Masu Box
The masu box is a traditional Japanese square box folded from a single sheet that locks together without glue. It is an intermediate model that takes about eight minutes, with one three-dimensional step where the walls are raised.
Paper Crane
The origami crane is the traditional Japanese orizuru, a bird with spread wings folded from a single square without cuts or glue. It is an advanced model: expect about 15 minutes for your first one, mostly spent learning the petal fold and inside reverse fold.
Watch the fold
Each step animates the real paper moving, with standard valley and mountain fold lines and arrows.
Fold along
Pause, rewind or replay any step. Swipe on a phone or use the arrow keys at a desk.
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Download a free PDF with every step for class, a club or the kitchen table.
Learn to fold
The folds behind every model
Valley, mountain, squash, petal, reverse folds and the classic bases — explained simply, with the models that use them.
Open the fold guideOrigami questions, answered
What is the best paper for origami beginners?+
Standard origami paper, often called kami, is the easiest to start with: it is thin, holds a sharp crease and is usually colored on one side and white on the other, which makes diagrams easier to follow. Plain printer paper cut into a square is a fine free alternative for simple models such as the Paper Cup or Dog Face. Avoid very soft paper like tissue and very thick card until you have some experience.
What size square should I use for origami?+
A 15 cm (6 in) square is the most common size and suits almost every model on this site. Beginners and children often find 20–25 cm (8–10 in) squares easier, because the folds are bigger and small errors matter less. Smaller squares of 7.5 cm (3 in) are best saved for models you already know well.
How do I make a square from A4 or Letter paper?+
Fold one short edge down diagonally until it lies along a long edge, forming a triangle with a strip of paper left below it. Crease the bottom edge of the triangle firmly, then cut along it or fold the strip back and forth a few times and tear it off. Unfold the triangle and you have a square with a diagonal crease already in it; the leftover strip can become a Lucky Star.
What are the easiest origami models to fold first?+
The Paper Cup, Tulip, Dog Face and Fox Face each take only a few minutes and use nothing more than valley and mountain folds. After those, the Paper Boat, Heart, Fish and Samurai Helmet add a few more steps without new techniques. When you feel confident, move on to the Masu Box and Butterfly, and save the Paper Crane for when simple models feel easy.
How do I read origami diagrams?+
A dashed line marks a valley fold, where the paper folds toward you, and a line of alternating dashes and dots marks a mountain fold, where it folds away. Arrows show which part moves and where it lands, a looping arrow means turn the paper over, and an arrow that goes out and comes back means fold and unfold to make a crease. Our animations show each move in motion, so you can compare your paper with the screen after every step.
Is origami good for kids?+
Yes. Folding paper builds fine motor control, hand-eye coordination and patience, and following a sequence of steps practices concentration and listening. It also introduces geometry ideas such as symmetry, angles and fractions in a hands-on way. Models like the Jumping Frog, Paper Boat and Pinwheel end in a toy, which keeps children motivated to finish.