Origami guide
How to fold a paper crane
The traditional crane, the most famous model in origami. It takes a little patience, and the square base and bird base you learn here open up hundreds of other models.
- Fold master
- About 20 minutes
- 14 steps
You will need
One square of thin origami paper, 15 cm (6 in) or bigger. Paper coloured on one side shows the folds best.
The paper crane, orizuru in Japanese, is the best-known model in origami. In Japan, a string of a thousand cranes is folded for luck and long life. It is not the quickest model, but every step is one you can learn, and two of them, the square base and the bird base, start hundreds of other models.
Fold it from thin paper: thick paper fights you at the petal fold. Paper coloured on one side works well, and our double-sided paper gives the wings a second colour inside.
Step by step
How to read the diagrams
- Valley fold: fold towards you
- Mountain fold: fold away from you
- Crease you made earlier
- Fold, then unfold
- Pull out or open
- Turn the paper over
- Push in here
New to folding? Start with how to start origami, which shows each fold.
Step 1
Crease the diagonals
Start with the coloured side up, turned so a corner points at you. Fold the paper in half corner to corner and unfold, then fold and unfold the other way. You have an X of creases.
Step 2
Turn over
Turn the paper over so the white side is up.
Step 3
Crease edge to edge
Fold the paper in half edge to edge and unfold, then the other way. These creases cross the X in the middle.
Step 4
Collapse into a square base
Bring the left, right and top corners down to the bottom corner. The edge-to-edge creases fold towards you, the side-to-side diagonal folds away, and the paper flattens into a small square with all four corners at the bottom.
Step 5
Fold the edges to the centre
Keep the open corners at the bottom. Fold the lower edges of the top layer in so they meet on the centre crease. It looks like a kite.
Step 6
Fold the top down, then unfold
Fold the top triangle down over the two flaps and crease hard. Then unfold the triangle and both side flaps. The three creases guide the next step.
Step 7
Petal fold
Lift the bottom corner of the top layer up, folding along the crease across the top. As it rises, the sides fold in along their creases and meet in the middle. Flatten it into a long diamond.
Step 8
Turn over and repeat
Turn the paper over and repeat steps 5 to 7 on this side: edges to the centre, top down and unfold, then the petal fold. This is the bird base.
Step 9
Narrow the lower edges
Fold the lower edges of the top layer in to the centre line, so the bottom half becomes thin. Leave a hair's gap in the middle; it makes the next folds easier.
Step 10
Turn over and repeat
Turn over and narrow this side the same way. The two thin points at the bottom will become the neck and tail.
Step 11
Reverse fold the neck and tail
Fold one thin point up along a slanted line just below the wings, crease and unfold. Open its layers a little, push the point up inside between the wings and flatten. Do the same with the other point.
Step 12
Reverse fold the head
Near the tip of one point, crease a short slanted fold, then reverse fold the tip down inside the neck. That is the head.
Step 13
Fold the wings down
Fold the front wing down along the line where it meets the body. Turn over and fold the other wing down the same way.
Step 14
Shape your crane
Hold the crane where the wings meet the body and pull the wings gently apart, so the body puffs up a little. Your crane is finished.
Tips for a neat crane
- Line up the first creases exactly. Every later fold depends on them.
- Crease the petal fold first. Steps 5 and 6 make all three creases before you lift the point, so the sides know where to go.
- Leave a gap when you narrow. Stopping just short of the centre line makes the reverse folds much easier.
- Stuck? Look at the next drawing. Knowing the shape you are aiming for usually shows how to get there.
Fold another
The crane is the hardest model in our guides. If it was a stretch, try the jumping frog or the fox face, and come back. New to the symbols? How to start origami shows each fold.