How to Make an Origami Cube with 6 Squares

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parts

1Folding the Sides

2Putting the Cube Together

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Whether you're interested in origami, trying to impress your friends and family, or simply looking for a small box to put things in, you've come to the right place. This article has step by step instructions on how to create an origami cube, also called a sonobe cube, for beginners as well as those advanced in origami. The only materials required are 6 square sheets of paper identical in size and shape.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Folding the Sides

1. 
   1
   Start with a square sheet of paper. Fold the paper in half diagonally, making sure to be crisp and accurate and crease along the fold.
2. 
   2
   Open the sheet and then fold it in half horizontally.
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3. 
   3
   Open the sheet of paper. Fold the top edge down to the center so that the edge rests along the line from the previous fold. Do the same with the bottom edge so that both edges of the paper meet in the center. Then open the sheet of paper again.

   • The paper should now have one line going diagonally across and three horizontal lines dividing the paper into quarters.
4. 
   4
   Fold in the two corners along the diagonal line. Fold them to the line from the last step, the horizontal line closest to the top. The corners will make a right triangle when properly folded; the bottom of that triangle should sit on the horizontal line, and the diagonal line from the first step should cut the triangle exactly in half.
5. 
   5
   Fold in the corners again. Repeat the same motion as above: bring the top corner of the paper down to the horizontal line, and fold it so that it forms a triangle whose base sits on that line. However, this time you will have an obtuse rather than a right triangle. The base of this triangle should be the same crease that was the hypotenuse of the right triangle, above.
6. 
   6
   Fold the top and bottom edges down to the center. After this step, the overall shape of the paper should be a rectangle half the size of the original square. However, there should be triangular holes from where the corners were folded over.
7. 
   7
   Fold the bottom corner toward the top center. This time, use one of the other corners - if you folded in the top right and bottom left corners in the previous steps, this time use the bottom right corner. Bring the corner to the top center of the rectangle, forming a right triangle as tall as the rectangle.
8. 
   8
   Fold the top corner to the bottom center. Pick the corner opposite the one you just folded - the only corner that has not yet been folded - and mirror the last step with this corner, bringing it to the bottom center of the rectangle. The fold should form another right triangle adjacent to the one from the previous step.
9. 
   9
   Open both previous folds. Unfold the two triangles you just folded.
10. 
    10
    Fold and tuck the bottom corner under the flap of the center. Using the bottom right corner again (the one you just unfolded), refold the exact same fold, but this time, rather than folding it on top of the flap of paper from the double-folded corner, slide it underneath.
11. 
    11
    Repeat with the opposite corner. Refold and the top left corner to the center, but this time tuck it under the flap from the double-folded, bottom left corner.

    • Your paper should now be in the shape of a parallelogram, with each corner folded into another so that the whole piece holds together.
12. 
    12
    Flip the piece over. The back should be smooth (no papers tucked in anywhere) and should have two lines cutting it in half, one horizontal and one diagonal (parallel to the sides).
13. 
    13
    Fold the bottom right hand corner to the top center. The bottom right should be one of the "pointy" corners (an acute angle). Fold it to the top right corner, so that the tip meets the angle of the top right corner (an obtuse angle). Essentially, you're folding the vertical side in half, but since it's a parallelogram, not a rectangle, it looks like you're folding in a corner. The bottom of the triangle created by the fold should sit at a right angle to the vertical sides of the parallelogram.
14. 
    14
    Repeat the above step with the opposite corner. Fold the top left hand corner to the bottom center. The paper should now be a perfect square.

    • Unfold the last two folds you made so that the sides stick straight out from the square base, rather than laying flat atop it. Each of these will form one side of the cube, with the two triangles sticking off at right angles serving to connect each side to the rest.
15. 
    15
    Repeat the above steps with each piece of paper. You started with six squares of paper, so you should have six folded squares in total.

    • Different color paper was use in this example to clarify the visual instructions. Multiple colors of paper are not required.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Putting the Cube Together

1. 
   1
   Take two pieces and position them like so. One piece is perpendicular to the other, with one pointy end lined up with the slot in the top center of the other piece. Both pieces should be face down, so that the corners want to fold in to the table you're working on rather than out into the air.
2. 
   2
   Slide the corner of the red piece into the pocket of the white piece. Make sure to choose the appropriate corner and slot so that the squares at the center of each piece are now positioned perfectly next to each other. The diagonal line on the bottom triangle of the white piece should perfectly line up with the diagonal line going across the center of the red piece.
3. 
   3
   Now position a third piece (blue in our example) as shown. It should also be face down and even with the center of the red piece. The diagonal corner of the blue piece should be parallel to the diagonal line pointed out in the step above.
4. 
   4
   Slide corner of blue piece into the pocket of the red. The two diagonal lines pointed out above should now meet to form just one diagonal line going from the corner of the red square to the corner of the white triangle, with the blue triangle sitting along the line. The three squares at the center of each piece should be lined up in the shape of an L with the red at the corner, so that the red square borders the other two and the white and blue squares only touch at one corner.
5. 
   5
   Take the corner of the white piece and put it into the pocket of the blue. The white corner is the end of the diagonal line referred to above. Slip it into the nearest blue pocket. This will create a half cube, formed by three squares which all border each other. Each side should also be half its original color and half the color of the piece that got tucked into it. The figure will now be 3D, so that it can no longer sit flat on the table.

   • When you position the cube with one side on the table, the leftover corners should form diagonal halves of the last three sides of the cube.
6. 
   6
   Flip half cube to its side so a corner is facing up as shown. From this position, you can easily add the next side.
7. 
   7
   Position a forth peace (here, blue) and line it up with one of the sides left to be filled. Make sure it's lined up the right way. The top triangle will line up perfectly with the triangle from the earlier piece of the same color so that those two triangles together will form a square on one of the other sides left to be filled. The other triangle, the bottom one of the piece you're putting in, should tuck into a fold on a side already in place.
8. 
   8
   Slide the corner into the piece you're putting in to attach it. Here, slide the white corner into the blue pocket to attach the blue piece.
9. 
   9
   Check the sides for any loose corners.

   • Where possible, tuck loose corners into the corresponding pockets on the sides they should attach to.
10. 
    10
    Turn the cube to a side with another triangle flap (here, red) facing up.
11. 
    11
    Position a fifth piece (white) and line it up with the triangular flap. Again, make sure the piece is lined up such that its triangular corners can slip into the pockets on the sides they should attach to.
12. 
    12
    Slide the triangular flap into the corresponding pocket to attach the new side.
13. 
    13
    Check sides for any loose corners. Tuck loose corners into their corresponding pockets. At this point, you should have two loose flaps on the only side left to add; everything else should be tucked in.
14. 
    14
    Position the last peace (red) and line it up with the last empty side of the cube. Again, line it up such that the loose flaps will fit into the pockets of the piece.
15. 
    15
    Slide the loose flaps into the corresponding pockets. This will firmly attach the last side of the cube.
16. 
    16
    Tuck all loose flaps into their corresponding pockets and the cube is complete.
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• Question

  How am I supposed to open and close the cube?

  

  Community Answer

  You cannot open or close the cube once it is completed. There may be another method where you can do so, though. Check YouTube for tutorials.

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• Question

  Does the origami cube move like a real one?

  

  Qamar

  Top Answerer

  No, it does not. The origami cube is made out of paper and can't move like a real one.

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  If How.com.vn has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission.Support How.com.vn

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Tips

• Cube may not come together completely at first try, deconstruct and try again.
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• Use clear tape to hold the cube together in certain places, or cover it completely once you finish.
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• Be sure to inspect for corners not tucked in after every step.
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Warnings

• While constructing the cube, it may be fragile and fall apart. Be patient and careful with your cube.
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