Origami · folding only

Traditional Crane

Confident (level 4 of 5)
30 min
28 steps
Ages 8–14 (a guide, not a rule)

No scissors
No glue
No adult help needed

Start Making Print

The crane is the most famous origami model, and it teaches the big folds you will use again and again: the square base, the petal fold and the inside-reverse fold. Each hard fold is shown in two parts, half-way and finished. Take your time, crease firmly, and check each picture before you move on.

Before you start

You need

Square of origami paper, 150 x 150 mm (6 x 6 in). Thin paper, colored on one side and white on the other. Bigger squares (up to 20 cm or 8 in) are easier for first tries.

No square of origami paper? No origami paper? Fold one corner of a printer sheet down to the opposite edge and tear off the extra strip to make a square. Printer paper is thicker, so use a big square.

How to place the paper before the first step — **Your paper:** Put the square down like a diamond, colored side up, with one corner pointing up.

Valley fold: blue dashes. Fold toward you, like a valley.
Mountain fold: pink dash-dot. Fold away from you, like a mountain.
Crease: a thin gray line where you folded before.
Turn over: flip the whole model to its other side.

Step by step

Each step shows what to do (left) and how it should look after (right).

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Result

Step 1 of 28 Fold and unfold Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. Crease well, then unfold.
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Step 2 of 28 Fold and unfold Fold the left corner over to the right corner. Crease, then unfold.
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Step 3 of 28 Turn over Turn the paper over so the white side is up.
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Step 4 of 28 Fold and unfold Fold the paper in half edge to edge: bring the lower left edge up to the upper right edge. Crease, then unfold.
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Step 5 of 28 Fold and unfold Fold in half the other way: lower right edge to upper left edge. Crease, then unfold.
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Step 6 of 28 Push Push the left and right corners in toward the middle. The creases fold by themselves and the top corner tips down toward you.
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Step 7 of 28 Squash fold Keep going until the top, left and right corners all lie on the bottom corner. Press flat. This is a square base.
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Step 8 of 28 Valley fold Fold the lower edges of the top layer in to the center line. The open end stays at the bottom. (Zoomed in: from here the square base is drawn bigger.)
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Step 9 of 28 Valley fold Fold the top triangle down over the flaps, along the line joining their top corners.
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Step 10 of 28 Unfold Unfold the top triangle and both side flaps. You now have three new creases.
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Step 11 of 28 Pull Petal fold, part 1: lift the bottom corner of the top layer and swing it up on the horizontal crease. The sides start to fold in.
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Step 12 of 28 Squash fold Petal fold, part 2: keep lifting until the corner points up, then press the sides flat so their edges meet on the center line.
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Step 13 of 28 Turn over Turn the paper over from side to side.
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Step 14 of 28 Fold and unfold Make the same three creases on this side: fold both lower edges to the center line and unfold, then fold the top triangle down and unfold.
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Step 15 of 28 Squash fold Petal fold this side too: lift the bottom corner up and press the sides in. This long diamond is a bird base.
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Step 16 of 28 Valley fold The two bottom points are the legs. Fold the lower edges of the top layer in to the center line to make them thin.
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Step 17 of 28 Turn over Turn the paper over again, from side to side.
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Step 18 of 28 Valley fold Fold the lower edges in to the center line on this side too. Both legs are now thin.
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Step 19 of 28 Fold and unfold Fold the left leg up along the slanted line, crease and unfold. Do the same with the right leg.
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Step 20 of 28 Inside reverse fold Inside-reverse fold, part 1: open the layers of the left leg a little and push the leg up between them, along the creases.
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Step 21 of 28 Squash fold Inside-reverse fold, part 2: close the layers and press flat. The leg now points up: this is the neck.
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Step 22 of 28 Inside reverse fold Inside-reverse fold the right leg the same way. Open its layers and push it up along the creases.
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Step 23 of 28 Squash fold Close the layers and press flat. This point is the tail.
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Step 24 of 28 Fold and unfold Near the tip of the neck, fold the tip down along a slanted line. Crease and unfold.
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Step 25 of 28 Inside reverse fold Inside-reverse fold the tip: open the neck a little, push the tip down inside on the crease, and press flat. This is the head.
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Step 26 of 28 Valley fold Fold the front wing down along the line joining the bottoms of the neck and tail.
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Result

Step 27 of 28 Mountain fold Fold the back wing down behind, the same way.
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Result

Step 28 of 28 Pull Hold the crane under its body and gently lift both wings up and out. Your crane is ready to fly!

A red origami crane with a pointed head on a long neck, a tail and two wings raised.

You made it!

Yours may look a little different. That is part of making things by hand.

Print the steps

If something goes wrong

The square base will not fold flat.

Check the creases: the two corner-to-corner folds are made colored side up, the two edge-to-edge folds white side up. Crease them all sharply and try again.

The petal fold tears or wrinkles at the sides.

Make the three creases (two side folds and the top fold) very sharp first, and lift only the top layer. Let the sides fold in on their own creases.

The neck or tail will not go up inside.

Pre-crease the slanted line firmly in both directions, then open the leg wider before you push it up.

The two halves of the bird base do not match.

The second petal fold should land exactly on top of the first. Unfold it and line the corners up again.

Helpful hints

Crease every fold with your fingernail: the crane depends on sharp creases.
Start with a large square for your first crane, then try smaller ones.
When a step says "top layer", lift just that layer with a fingertip before you fold.

The traditional crane (orizuru) from the bird base, folded for centuries and taught worldwide. Diagrams drawn for PlayOwl.