How to Do Easy Origami

Origami is a fun and creative pastime for people of all ages. Plus, origami projects make great gifts. If you are new to origami, start with some easy origami, such as a crown, fortune teller, or heart. For any of these projects, you will need square sheets of paper that are 6 by 6 inches (15 by 15 cm) in size. You can purchase origami paper or make your own.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating an Origami Crown

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1
Gather 6-7 pieces of paper. In order to make this crown, you will need several pieces of square paper, 6 by 6 inches (15 by 15 cm) in size. For a child-sized crown, you will need 4-5 pieces. For an adult crown, you will need 6-7 pieces.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Sturdy paper (like construction paper or craft paper) will work best.
Fold the paper in half horizontally. Use your finger to make a sharp crease and unfold the paper. Then fold the paper in half vertically. Make a sharp crease using your finger, and unfold your paper again.^{[2]XResearch source}
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Fold the top left corner in to meet the center crease, followed by the right. Use your finger to tighten each crease. At this stage, your paper will look like a little house.^{[3]XResearch source}
Make a good crease with your finger. At this stage, your paper will look like a sailboat.^{[4]XResearch source}
Fold the rectangle you made upward, so that it overlaps 1 more time. You have now completed your first modular crown section.^{[5]XResearch source}
6
Create 3-6 more crown pieces and fit them together. Repeat this method to create more modular crown pieces. Slide the bottom rectangular part of 1 piece inside the rectangular fold of another. Wiggle the pieces together as far as they will go, until the bottoms of the triangles overlap. Finally, connect the first and last pieces together to form a ring.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Adjust your crown to be the proper size by adding or removing crown pieces.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Folding an Origami Fortune Teller

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For this project, you need a single sheet of square white paper, about 6 by 6 inches (15 by 15 cm) in size. You will also need some crayons and markers.^{[7]XResearch source}
EXPERT TIP
Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.
Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Start origami with easy-to-find, durable printer paper. Start by practicing with easy to find printer paper before thinner, delicate origami sheets. Printer paper's availability and durability works well for beginners. Later on, origami paper's thin yet sturdy quality suits advanced projects. Remember to cut regular paper evenly into squares.
Fold the paper in half so that the top right corner meets the bottom left corner. Use your finger to make a good crease and unfold the paper. Then fold the paper the opposite way, joining the top left corner with the bottom right. Make a good crease and unfold.^{[8]XResearch source}
Fold the paper in half again, meeting the bottom edge up with the top edge. Make a crease, then unfold. Repeat this along the vertical axis, make a crease, and unfold the paper.^{[9]XResearch source}
Fold each point so that it touches the center crease point. You should end up with a smaller square than you had before.^{[10]XResearch source}
Once again, fold each corner so that it touches the center crease point. You will now have an even smaller square.^{[11]XResearch source}
6
Decorate your fortune teller. You now have 8 triangles (4 triangular flaps that are divided in half by folds). Color each of the 8 triangles with different colors. Write a fortune on the underside of each triangle.^{[12]XResearch source} Fortune ideas include:
- You will have a wonderful day today.
- A friend will call you tomorrow.
- You will get an A on your next test.
- Be careful on Wednesday.
Fold the bottom half of the fortune teller up to the top. Tuck the forefingers and thumbs of both of your hands into the openings below. When you look down at your fortune teller, it should resemble a flower.^{[13]XResearch source}
Tell a friend to choose a number from 1-8. Open and close the fortune teller that number of times. Next, tell the friend to choose 1 of the four colors they see. Lift up that color flap, and read your friend their fortune.^{[14]XResearch source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Making an Origami Heart

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Set a square piece of paper on a flat surface so that it is shaped like a diamond (with a point at the top). Fold the paper so that the top right corner meets the bottom left corner. Crease this line and unfold the paper. Fold the top left corner to meet the bottom right, crease, and unfold.^{[15]XResearch source}
Carefully bend the top point so that it reaches the center crease. Use your finger to tighten the fold. You will now have a flat line on top.^{[16]XResearch source}
Bend the bottom corner so that the point reaches the flat line at the top. Don’t make the mistake of measuring the bottom point to the center crease; make sure it goes the top of your paper.^{[17]XResearch source}
Bend the right side of your paper so that it overlaps inward. The bottom right side of your paper should match up with your center crease. Repeat this on the left side.^{[18]XResearch source}
5
Flip the paper over and fold in the points. Turn your paper so that it is face down. You will see 2 points on the top, and 1 point on each side. Fold each of the points over to create flat lines. This will make your creation into a heart.^{[19]XResearch source}
- Flip the paper back over to reveal your origami heart.

Expert Q&A

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Question
What advice do you have for someone who's trying to get started doing origami as a beginner?
Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Robert Homayoon is an Origami Expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009. His channel has a following of over 676,000 subscribers, and his videos have garnered over 211 million views. Robert uses his channel to highlight his passion for teaching people origami, crafts, and how to solve puzzles. He graduated from SUNY Albany in 2007 and earned his D.M.D degree from Temple University Dental School in 2013.
Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert
Expert Answer
Get a couple of simple books that teach you the basic folds, valley folds, and mountain folds. Work on your hand coordination skills and being precise. Try to be as accurate as possible with the instructions. I find watching videos is a little bit better than reading books. But it's sometimes a good idea to watch videos and read books.
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Question
Are there any other origamis I can do?
Community Answer
Ninja stars are fairly simple to do. There are origami flowers that may be slightly more difficult, but still doable. You might also like to try making a simple piano or house.
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Question
How do I put my hand into the fortune teller?
Quinlan O'Driscoll
Community Answer
First, turn the fortune teller upside-down so it looks like an egg basket with four pockets in it. Then, put your thumbs into the top two, and put your two pointer fingers into the bottom two. Finally, turn it back around with your fingers still in the pockets.
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