What is the simplest fold in origami?
Matthew Shields
Updated on March 18, 2026
What is the simplest fold in origami?
valley fold
The two most important folds and the simplest are the valley fold and the mountain fold. They form the foundation of all origami models. Once you know these two folds, you’ll be to fold almost all simple origami models. The next fold is the squash fold.
What are the names of the 3 types of folds in origami?
3 Main Types of Origami Folds
- 01 of 03. Valley Fold. Dana Hinders. The most basic of all origami folds is the valley fold.
- 02 of 03. Mountain Fold. Dana Hinders. The mountain fold is essentially a valley fold in reverse.
- 03 of 03. Squash Fold. Dana Hinders.
What is the most popular origami fold?
Crane
Crane. The traditional origami crane is perhaps the most popular example of origami. It uses a bird base, which is a square base plus two petal folds. Traditionally, folding a thousand paper cranes is said to grant you the right to make one special wish.
How do you make origami folds better?
“The only way to get better at origami is to fold carefully and keep at it. Nothing worth learning comes easily.” “This tip can be applied to anything really, if you can’t fold something try folding another model that is twice as hard… even if you fail. Then go back and try that first model again.
How do I start learning origami?
This is probably the most complicated one of the traditional origami bases.
- Step 1) Start with a square sheet of paper with the white side up.
- Step 4) Squash fold this flap of paper down.
- Step 7) Squash fold this flap of paper down.
- Step 10) Push everything flat and make sure everything is squashed symmetrically.
What is squash fold?
What is a squash fold? Basically, it is when you pry open the paper slightly, then press and flatten the paper to make the fold. Below are pictures of squash folds that for some of the origami models on this site. Squash Fold Example 1: This is an example from making a square base .
What is the most impressive origami?
The 10 Most Amazing Origami Designs
| Origami Design | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Black Forest Cuckoo Clock by Robert Lang |
| 2 | Jazz Band by Eric Joisel |
| 3 | The Angels by Leo Lai |
| 4 | Chinese Dragon (Ryujin 3.5) by Satoshi Kamiya |
What is the hardest origami?
Origami Ancient Dragon
However, the hardest design he has ever folded is the Origami Ancient Dragon designed by Satoshi Kamiya, which took around 16 hours of work.