Fun
How to fold an origami crane
Fold the traditional Japanese paper crane (orizuru) one animated step at a time, from a square sheet to the finished bird with its neck, tail and wings.
Crane
Advancedabout 15 minutes19 stepsPaper: Square, 15 cm (6 in); thin origami paper works best
Start with the coloured side up. Fold the square in half from corner to corner and unfold, then do the same along the other diagonal.
Swipe the diagram or use the ← → keys. Space plays and pauses.
Paper colour
Print all steps
4 pages, six steps to a page, in the paper colour you picked.
Reading the diagrams
- - - valley fold (towards you) · -·-· mountain fold (away) · thin grey lines are creases already made. Arrows show where the paper goes; a hollow arrow means push in.
All steps
More origami to fold
- Paper boatEasy
- Lucky starEasy
- HeartEasy
- Masu boxIntermediate
- Tulip flowerEasy
- Tulip stemEasy
- ButterflyIntermediate
- Jumping frogIntermediate
- Paper cupEasy
- Samurai helmetEasy
- PinwheelIntermediate
- Dog faceEasy
- Fox faceEasy
- FishEasy
See every model with a difficulty filter on origami instructions.
Play and explore in your browser. No account needed.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to fold a crane?
Allow about 15 minutes for your first crane, with pauses to compare your paper with the diagrams. Once the bird base is familiar, a crane takes two or three minutes, and people folding a thousand cranes quickly get faster still.
What size paper should I use?
A 15 cm (6 in) square of thin origami paper is the standard size and easy to handle. Larger paper, 20–25 cm, is easier for a first attempt because the small folds at the end are bigger. Very small cranes, 7.5 cm (3 in) or less, are best left until you know the sequence.
What is a petal fold?
A petal fold lifts one layer of the preliminary base upwards along a horizontal crease while its two sides fold in along creases made just before, so the edges meet in the middle and a long diamond-shaped flap forms. The crane needs two petal folds, one on each side, and the result is the bird base.
How do I make an inside reverse fold?
Crease the fold line firmly in both directions first. Then open the thin flap slightly, push the tip up between its own layers along the crease, and flatten it again. The point reverses direction and ends up sandwiched inside the flap, which is how the neck, the tail and the head are formed.
Why are cranes folded in a thousand?
In Japan a string of a thousand paper cranes, called senbazuru, is a traditional gift for weddings, recovery from illness and good fortune, and a legend says it earns a wish. Since Sadako Sasaki, a girl who folded cranes while ill after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the paper crane has also become a symbol of peace.
My crane's wings are uneven — what went wrong?
Uneven wings usually come from an uneven petal fold or narrowing fold. Make sure each pair of edges meets exactly on the centre line and crease firmly before the next step. It also helps to fold the reverse folds for the neck and tail at the same angle, so the body sits level.
About this tool
The paper crane is the best-known origami model in the world and a milestone for every folder. These instructions follow the traditional sequence: creases in both directions, the collapse into a preliminary base, kite folds and a petal fold on each side to make the bird base, narrowing folds, inside reverse folds for the neck and tail, a small reverse fold for the head and, finally, the wings folded down.
Every step is an animated diagram in standard notation. Valley folds are dashed lines and mountain folds are dash-dot lines, arrows show where each flap travels, and the diagram turns over when you need to turn your paper over. The difficult moves — the collapse and the petal folds — are built from the crane's real crease pattern, so what you see is exactly how the layers of real paper move.
Choose a paper colour to match your sheet, play the whole crane through with Play all, or go one step at a time with the buttons, the arrow keys or a swipe. When you are ready to fold away from the screen, download all the steps as a PDF for US Letter or A4.
Once the crane is familiar, the same bird base leads to the flapping bird and many other traditional models. The other diagrams on this site — from the easy paper cup to the masu box and the jumping frog — are linked below the crane.