Origami Instructions
Did you know that origami came from the Japanese words "Oru" meaning "to fold" and "kami" meaning "paper"? And that's exactly what we do here - fold paper!
There's nothing quite like the joy you get from transforming a plain square piece of paper into a container, animal, flower, etc.
It still puts a smile on our faces when we complete an origami!
Follow our instructions to make something today, right now!
Origami is fun, easy, inexpensive and great for sharing with others. This is an activity that has been passed on from one generation to another, despite huge technological advances.
Let's make sure that it will continue on for many generations to come.
Below is a video of one of the coolest origami we folded lately, the Magic Rose Cube , a model by Valerie Vann.
Origami Magic Rose Cube Assembly Video
Here is a collection of origami made by readers of this site!
Below are some of the lovely comments we've received from visitors to our site. They keep us motivated!
- Thanks so much for compiling instructions like these. It's so much fun and incredibly helpful to have everything I'd ever want to make here on this site. And the fact that you reply to comments and interact with the people using your site is awesome and really shows your care and dedication. Thanks (for everything)! :) (Feb 2013)
- you are changing the art form of origami by making it so much more accessible. i mean it - for years have looked for projects to do that were advanced novice and had trouble with instructions not being clear enough to follow or with designs of projects not being interesting enough to pursue. you CONQUER both. thank you SINCERELY (Nov 2012)
- I know I've said this be4 but ur website is totally AWESOME!!!! And I was also wondering if u could put this message somewhere on the homepage just so everyone can see how crazy-cool this site is! Thanks SO much whoever u are for putting ur time into this and listening to whenever I bother u because I don't understand a part...thanks! (March 2012)
- Many thanks for your website : it's a real great job ! (Dec 2011)
- Hello, I was a complete beginner to Origami before I came across your website, and successfully used your excellent instructions to create an easy elephant, a shark, a bat, and then a heron within a couple of hours! So, I'd like to say thanks very much, creating some impressive Origami animals was a nice relaxing diversion, surprisingly fun and satisfying. (Dec 2011)
- First off i just want to say that i LOVE your site! I haven't found a site with this good of origami instructions yet! I love that you have step-by-step instructions and photos to go along. The photos help me a TON! If i don't understand the instructions i can just look a the picture to help me along. I never thought I could do origami and I never even thought about trying. I thought that origami would be too hard for me, but since i found this site I realized that is so untrue! Ever since I found this I have been making origami and the assortment is growing by the week! I could write about how much I love this site forever but I think this is enough. I hope you keep on adding new origami because I'm almost through with these! I love this site but just a few of the instructions were a little bit hard for me to figure out but I'm in the groove now. I would like a little bit harder looking but easy doing origami though. Thank you SO much for creating this site! You really are spreading joy one fold at a time! I hope i will be uploading some pictures soon! Thanks again! (Oct 2011)
- I just wanted to write to tell you how much I love this site. Over the summer I had drivers education and had to go to work with my dad daily. I spent roughly six hours a day with him and I had nothing to do... that is until I realized there was an abundance of scrap paper laying around. I was then struck with the idea of doing origami, but didn't know how to make anything. I jumped on the internet and found this amazing site. Now, not only have I found things to do all summer stuck in an office, but I have also found an amazing hobby. Thank you for this amazing website! (July 2011)
- i love your site so much. you guys helped me learn so much origami. 3 years ago i didn't know what origami was and now i can't live without it. thank you very much for making this site! (May 2011)
- I really enjoy your site. After I studied and made all of the origami base folds I was finally able to really understand what I was doing. I always wanted to learn origami but the few times in my life that I tried I could not understand the instructions. Learning how to make the base folds on your site changed my way of thinking and doing! Suddenly I understood. Finally I am able to fold origami animals and whatever I want. Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this website possible. You have offered a little bit of joy to me and I am happy to receive it!(March 2011)
- Hey i just wanted to say your website ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (March 2011)
- Today i learnt origami for the first time. It made me happy....(Feb 2011)
- Just wanted to THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! My grand-daughter's 9th birthday arrived and she wanted money to buy clothes and I was struggling to think of a way to make the gift of cash special when I remembered origami from 2nd grade lol! I made her the elephant and the shirt and a bow I knew how to make already, which I did not see listed on your site. She was thrilled and touched and I think she will remember this birthday present better than a lot of others I have gotten her! I have also used this for tips in restaraunts and have had waitresses tell me they KEPT THEM! How great that you have this site for people like me it was pretty easy, even though my elephant looked like it had elephantitis lol! I will spread the word!(Feb 2011)
- I absolutely loved this! My friend was really down on Valentines Day, so i wrote her a nice letter and folded it into this heart. When she got it she loved it, and felt a lot better. Thanks guys, you really made my friends day!(Feb 2011)
- Awesome, now i can't stop making them. thank you so much for the tutorial. your site is epic. i learned to do so much origami :)(Dec 2010)
- Hello! I'm a BIG origami fan and even though I started about 1 year ago, I've made TONS of them! And I just wanted to say thanks for EVERYTHING! This is the best site because everything is clear and accurate :) Thank you for everything! (Dec 2010)
- I house-sat for a family friend this summer and decided to make them a few pieces of origami as a welcome home display on their entrance table: 3 vases on a lotus each, with 3 lilies and a crane each. Thanks so much for your fantastic instructions! It was just what I've been looking for--the best, clearest, easiest to understand instructions I've found! Keep up the good work! (Aug 2010)
- the first website i've found that doesn't have rage-inducing instructions. thank you so much!(June 2010)
- I love this website I use it all the time! I am currently using the star box because I am in a wedding, not getting married, and I have to make about 100. I saw somebody said that they make 300 and I was awed! Now, I think I have changed my mind and put those chocolates in there with that fuzzy grass in it. Thank you so much. Also, I think that it's a great idea to show the actual paper and not a diagram. It is so much more effective! (Feb 2010)
- My niece brought me some origami paper from Japan for Christmas. Your site is the best one I've found for instructions, and I'm making my way through it! (Jan 2010)
- This was my project for our 2nd Year HS class. Thank you for the Origami tutorial. It made it easy for my class to follow and appreciate this Japanese art. We made the Origami Cube and will be making lots more within the week. (Aug 2009)
- This is a great site! The photos are easy to follow and everything (: (April 2009)
- Amazing!!! I love ur site. I was looking up folding flapping crane that I've been trying to do on and off for 3 yrs or so. I've always wanted to fold the crane and looked up so many times. Even bought a few books here and there. Within minutes I connected to your site, I have already made 5 of them. THANK YOU. (March 2009)
- I never found the origami instruction as easy as you have them here. I love it. Thank you for your effort, time and for sharing this with all. (April 2008)
- I just wanted to say thank-you to whoever maintains this site. It is by far the best how-to site that I've found on the web. Good Job Guys! (Aug 2007)