Origami basics

Everything you need before your first model: the two folds that every design is built from, how to read origami diagrams, the bases that traditional models start from, and how to choose paper.

Two folds make everything

The word origami comes from the Japanese oru, to fold, and kami, paper. However complicated a model looks, every crease in it is one of two kinds.

A valley fold bends the paper towards you, so the crease sinks into a V like a valley. A mountain fold bends it away from you, so the crease rises like a ridge. They are the same fold seen from opposite sides: turn a valley fold over and it becomes a mountain fold. Most instructions ask for valley folds, because they are easier to make accurately on a table.

Reading origami diagrams

Origami diagrams use a shared visual language, largely developed by Akira Yoshizawa in the 1950s and later standardised with Samuel Randlett and Robert Harbin. Once you know it you can follow diagrams from any book, whatever language it is written in. The guides on this site use these symbols:

• Valley fold: a dashed line, with an arrow showing which way the paper moves.
• Mountain fold: a dash-and-dot line. The arrow has a half head, meaning the paper folds behind.
• Unfold: an arrow with an open head. Fold, crease firmly, then open the paper out again; the crease stays as a guide for later.
• Turn over: a looped arrow. Flip the model over, keeping the same edge at the top.
• Collapse or push: a thick arrow. Push the paper in at that point and let it fold along the existing creases.
• Reverse fold: a fold that turns a point inside out, between its own layers. Used for necks, heads and tails.

Each diagram shows the paper at the start of a step, with marks for what to do next. The following diagram shows the result, so if your model doesn’t match it, go back a step.

Bases: where models begin

Many traditional models start from the same few shapes, called bases. Learning them once makes dozens of models easier.

• Kite fold: two edges folded to a diagonal crease, giving a kite shape. The paper dart is a series of kite folds.
• Blintz fold: all four corners folded to the centre. It halves the size of a square and is the first move of the masu box.
• Waterbomb base: a triangle collapsed from a square with diagonal and horizontal creases. It begins the butterfly and the front of the jumping frog.
• Square base: the same creases collapsed the other way, giving a small square with an open end. Also called the preliminary base.
• Bird base: a square base with a petal fold on each side, giving a long diamond with four points. It is the basis of the crane and many birds and animals.

Choosing paper

Origami paper (kami) is thin, crisp and coloured on one side, usually sold in 15 cm squares. It holds a crease well and is the easiest choice for most models. Larger squares are easier for beginners; smaller ones suit models you already know.

Printer paper (around 80 gsm) is fine for planes, boxes and simple models. Trim it to a square for models that need one. It is thicker than kami, so models with many layers, like the crane, get bulky.

Washi, traditional Japanese paper, is soft and strong, with long fibres; it suits rounded, shaped models. Foil paper holds any shape you press into it, which helps with fiddly details but shows every mistaken crease. Card, such as an index card, makes springy action models like the frog.

Folding well

• Fold on a hard, flat surface such as a table, not on your lap.
• Line up the corners or edges exactly first, hold them in place, then crease from the middle outwards.
• Run a fingernail along each crease to make it sharp. Precise early creases make every later step easier.
• Pre-crease before a collapse: fold and unfold each crease in both directions so the paper moves freely.
• If a step won’t work, unfold to the last step that matched the diagram and try again; don’t force it.

Ready to try? The heart and paper dart use only simple folds, the butterfly introduces a collapse, and the crane brings everything together.