ORUThe joy of folding.
Gallery

Paper settings

Choose colors and finishes for each side.

Paper colors

Crane

How to fold an origami crane

Paper
One square sheet of paper.
Preparation
No cutting or gluing is included in these folding steps. Begin with “Fold in half diagonally”.
What you will make
A crane with a neck, tail, and two wings.

Fold a crane by opening and flattening the pockets, forming long diamonds, and shaping the neck, tail, and head. When lifting the bottom corner, follow the existing creases as you bring the sides inward. Open the layers before raising the neck and tail inside them.

Follow the 41 steps above by scrolling. Drag the model to inspect a fold from another angle, and scroll back to review a previous step.

Explore more animals origami →

Read all 41 folding steps
  1. Fold in half diagonally
  2. Fold the triangle in half again
  3. Lift the folded triangle upright
  4. Open the pocket and squash it flat
  5. Turn the whole model over
  6. Lift the triangle on the back
  7. Squash the back pocket flat
  8. Point the open corner down
  9. Fold the left edge to the center
  10. Fold the right edge to the center
  11. Crease the top triangle
  12. Unfold, keeping the creases
  13. Lift the bottom corner
  14. Fold both sides inward
  15. Turn the diamond over
  16. Fold the back left edge to the center
  17. Fold the back right edge to the center
  18. Unfold both sides on the back
  19. Lift the bottom corner on the back
  20. Fold the back into a narrow diamond
  21. Narrow the lower left edge
  22. Narrow the lower right edge
  23. Keep the narrow folds and turn over
  24. Narrow the lower left edge on the back
  25. Narrow the lower right edge on the back
  26. Crease the base of the neck
  27. Unfold the neck section
  28. Crease the base of the tail
  29. Unfold the tail section
  30. Open the layers at the neck
  31. Open the neck crease fully
  32. Reverse-fold the neck upward and close
  33. Open the layers at the tail
  34. Open the tail crease fully
  35. Reverse-fold the tail upward and close
  36. Crease the head
  37. Unfold the head crease
  38. Open the neck layers for the head
  39. Open out the head crease
  40. Inside reverse-fold the head
  41. Open the wings, neck and tail together

Tricky points and what to check

Which pocket should I open?

Steps to review: 3・4・6・7

Open and flatten the pocket in the raised triangle. Turn the whole model over before repeating on the back; compare the white interior with the illustrations.

Which way does the neck rise?

Steps to review: 26・27・30・31・32

Review the crease-and-unfold stage at the neck base. Open the layers, fully open the crease, then raise the neck inside and close the layers.

Step 4：Open the pocket and squash it flat

Three views from the same 3D folding sequence. Read from top to bottom.

Crane base with one triangular layer standing upright
Crane base with one triangular layer standing upright

Start with the triangle raised in step 3. Identify the pocket that moves and the paper that stays underneath.

Before：Start with the triangle raised in step 3. Identify the pocket that moves and the paper that stays underneath.
Crane pocket opening with its white interior forming a diamond
Crane pocket opening with its white interior forming a diamond

Spread the sides of the pocket as you lower the raised corner. Use the center crease as a guide.

During：Spread the sides of the pocket as you lower the raised corner. Use the center crease as a guide.
Crane pocket flattened into a red square layer
Crane pocket flattened into a red square layer

The opened pocket is now flat. Next, turn the whole model over and repeat on the other side.

After：The opened pocket is now flat. Next, turn the whole model over and repeat on the other side.
Explore more origami models →
SCROLL TO FOLD

Fold a crane by opening and flattening the pockets, forming long diamonds, and shaping the neck, tail, and head.

Completed origami crane

Completed model · Loading 3D…

Drag to rotate · Right-drag up/down to zoomSwipe to rotate · Pinch to zoom