How to Read Origami Diagrams: Symbol Key for Kids
Every origami guide on this site uses the same picture symbols. Learn these eight, and you can follow a guide from the pictures alone. Print this key and keep it next to you while you fold.
Origami symbol key
Colored side and white side
Orange shows the colored side of the paper. White shows the plain side. Start with the side the first picture shows facing up.
See it in the Paper Hat guide
Valley fold
Dashes and a solid arrowhead: fold the paper toward you, so the crease sinks down like a valley.
See it in the Paper Boat guide
Mountain fold
Dash-dot line and a hollow arrowhead: fold the paper away from you, behind, so the crease stands up like a mountain.
See it in the Paper Cup guide
Old crease
A thin, faint line is a crease you already made and opened. Use it as a guide line; don't fold it again unless the step says so.
See it in the Fortune Teller guide
Fold to this spot
A small open circle shows exactly where the moving corner or edge should land. Line it up before you press the crease.
See it in the Paper Airplane guide
Push or open
A short straight arrow means push, pull or open in that direction. You are shaping the paper, not making a new crease.
See it in the Masu Box guide
Where the paper was
A faint dotted outline shows where a flap was before you folded it, so you can see how far it moved.
See it in the Heart guide
Turn over
Flip the whole model over, like turning a page, so the back faces you. Keep the top at the top.
See it in the Fox Face guide
Practice before your first model
Grab a scrap square of paper with a colored side and a white side. Try each drill, then compare your paper with the “after” picture. Open it flat before the next drill.
1. Valley-fold in half
White side up. Bring the bottom edge up to the top edge, line up both corners, then press the fold from the middle out.
Check: You should see a colored rectangle with the folded edge at the bottom.
2. Mountain-fold in half
Colored side up. Fold the left half behind the paper so its edge meets the right edge at the back.
Check: You still see the colored side, now half as wide. The fold is on the left.
3. Fold an edge to a crease
White side up. Fold in half top to bottom and open it again. Then fold the top edge down so it touches the crease.
Check: A colored strip covers the top quarter, and its edge sits on the crease.
Ready for a real model?
Start with the Paper Hat, which uses only valley folds and one push-open step. Then try the Paper Cup for your first mountain fold. Want to remember what each crease did? Record it on the printable fold-notes chart, or browse all origami guides.