Easy origami box: step-by-step folding for beginners

The masu is a classic first origami box for a practical reason: once the first creases are in, every later fold lands on a crease or a point you have already made, so you always have a landmark to aim for. Beginners usually stall at the moment the flat paper becomes three-dimensional, and the creases made in the first six steps do most of that work for you. Once the base works, the same sequence makes a lid that fits, and a simple ratio tells you what size sheet to cut for anything from a ring box to a desk tray.

A single 6-inch (15 cm) square of origami paper folds into a box about 2 1/8 inches (5.4 cm) square and just over 1 inch (2.7 cm) deep, with no glue, tape or scissors. The masu, a traditional Japanese box, is a good first project in easy origami: its folded flaps lock the walls in place.

Paper and supplies for a masu box

Standard 6-inch origami paper, often sold as kami, is the simplest choice for a first box. It is thin, it holds a sharp crease, and its white back makes every fold easy to read. Packs are sold at Michaels and Blick and on Amazon. Copy paper and patterned scrapbook paper also work once cut perfectly square.

To get a square from US Letter (8.5 x 11 in) paper, fold the top-left corner down until the top edge lies exactly along the right edge. The leftover strip at the bottom is 2 1/2 inches (6.4 cm) tall: cut it off along the edge of the folded triangle, then unfold. You now have an 8.5-inch square with a diagonal crease you can ignore.

Skip 65 lb cardstock for now: each masu corner stacks several layers, and heavy stock cracks along the folds and keeps the closing flaps from lying flat.

How big your finished box will be

The floor of a masu box measures about 35 percent of the side of the starting square, and the walls stand half as tall as the floor is wide. The ratio comes straight from the folds: folding the corners to the center shrinks the square, and the two walls take up half of what remains.

The ratio also works backward. Multiply the floor width you want by 2.83 to get the size of square to cut: a box with a 4-inch (10 cm) floor needs a square of about 11 5/16 inches (28.7 cm).

Fold the masu box in ten steps

The ten steps split into two stages. Steps 1 to 6 only make creases and leave the paper nearly flat; steps 7 to 10 use those creases to raise the walls and lock them. The steps follow Origami.me's photo-diagrammed masu box tutorial in the same sequence.

Set the creases (steps 1 to 6)

1. Fold the center lines. Lay the square white side up, colored side down. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, crease, and unfold. Fold the left edge over to the right edge, crease, and unfold. The point where the two creases cross is the center.
2. Fold the first corner in. Fold the bottom-left corner up so its tip lands exactly on the center point. Crease firmly.
3. Fold the other three corners in. Bring the bottom-right, top-right and top-left corners to the center the same way. You now have a smaller square standing on one point like a diamond, with four colored triangular flaps whose tips meet in the middle.
4. Turn and crease the top and bottom. Rotate the paper 45 degrees so one straight edge runs along the bottom and the square sits flat. Fold the top edge down to the center point where the four tips meet, crease hard, and unfold. Fold the bottom edge up to the same point, crease, and unfold.
5. Open the top and bottom flaps. Unfold the top and bottom triangular flaps completely so their points stick out above and below the square. The left and right flaps stay folded in.
6. Crease the sides. Fold the left folded edge to the center point, where the tips of the left and right flaps meet, crease, and unfold. Repeat with the right edge. The square outlined by creases in the middle of the paper is the floor of the box.

Raise and lock the walls (steps 7 to 10)

Keep the paper turned as it was in step 6, with the open top and bottom flaps pointing away from and toward you.

1. Raise the side walls and the top wall. Lift the left and right sides along the creases from step 6 until they stand straight up at 90 degrees. At the top end, push the top-left and top-right corners inward along their existing diagonal creases. The paper between the two side walls rises into a third wall.
2. Lock the top wall. Fold the top triangular flap down over that third wall and into the box, so its point lands on the center of the floor. Run a finger along the top edge of the wall to crease it hard; the flap now holds the two corners in place.
3. Raise the bottom wall. Turn the box around so the open end faces away from you, then push its two corners inward exactly as in step 7.
4. Lock the bottom wall. Fold the last flap down into the box as in step 8. All four flap points now meet at the center of the floor, and with the white side up at the start, the box shows its colored side inside and out.

Add a lid from a slightly larger square

A masu lid is a second masu box folded from a slightly larger square, so it slips down over the base. Because the folds shrink the sheet to about a third of its width, any size difference shrinks too: a square 1/4 inch (6 mm) larger gives a lid less than 1/10 inch (2.5 mm) wider.

The easiest way to build in that difference from one pack of 6-inch paper is to shrink the base, not enlarge the lid. Keep a full sheet for the lid. For the base, trim 1/4 inch off two adjacent sides of a second sheet to get a 5 3/4-inch (14.6 cm) square. We recommend that gap for thin kami: it leaves roughly 1/32 inch (0.8 mm) of play on each side once the lid's wall layers are counted.

Fold the lid with the same ten steps; its walls are as deep as the base's, so it covers the box completely. Thicker paper needs a bigger difference. A card gift box tutorial from Homemade Gifts Made Easy gives a rule of thumb for boxes folded from card: a base sheet roughly 3/8 inch (1 cm) smaller than the lid sheet with thin card, and about 3/4 inch (2 cm) smaller with thick card. If your lid binds, trim another 1/8 inch (3 mm) from the base sheet; if it rattles, trim less.

To use two same-size sheets instead, Origami.me's photo tutorial stops the lid's corners about 1/16 inch (2 mm) short of the center in steps 2 and 3, which widens the lid slightly.

Fixing a box that gapes or leans

A masu box that gapes, leans or will not stay shut can be opened back to the flat square and refolded, since the paper keeps its creases. The quickest check comes after step 3, before any wall goes up: the four flap tips should meet at a single point, and the four outer edges should be equal in length.

• If a wall leans outward, the creases from steps 4 and 6 were too soft to hold a right angle. Before step 7, run a fingernail or bone folder along every crease once more.
• If one wall stands shorter than the others, a corner in step 2 or 3 missed the center. Open the box flat, refold that corner to the true center, and redo the creases from steps 4 to 6.
• If the closing flap pops back up, crease the top edge of the wall harder. If it still lifts, Origami.me suggests a dab of glue, or simply letting the contents hold it down.

Frequently asked questions

Why is it called a masu box?

Masu were originally square wooden containers used in Japan to measure rice, and the paper model copies their square floor and straight, upright walls. The name is useful when you search for diagrams: "masu box" points to this one model, while "origami box" can mean any of dozens of designs, some of which need several sheets.

Can you flatten an origami box for storage?

Yes. Lift the two locked flaps out of the box, let the walls fall open, and the paper returns to its creased square. With the creases already set, refolding takes a minute or two, so you can fold party favors weeks ahead and store them flat.

How do you make an origami box stronger?

Fold two thin sheets stacked together as if they were one, which doubles every wall without the cracking you get from cardstock. For a firmer floor, cut a square of cardstock to fit inside the finished box and drop it in, which stiffens the base without adding bulk at the corners.

Can you use wrapping paper for an origami box?

Yes. Gift wrap is thin and holds creases well, and one roll gives you matching boxes and lids; cut it square with a ruler first. Its printed side should face down in step 1, since the side facing the table ends up on the outside of the box.

Is an origami box a good project for kids?

The folds are simple enough for school-age children who can line up two edges neatly. Step 7 often needs an adult's extra hands the first time. Precut the squares so scissors stay with an adult, and avoid squares smaller than 6 inches, which are harder for young hands to crease.

Where can you find more origami box patterns?

Once the masu feels routine, OrigamiUSA's diagram library lists free and paid diagrams from the national origami society. Many boxes start from the same corners-to-center base you folded in steps 2 and 3.

Fold three bases in a row from the same pack before you start on a lid. By the third box, the corners in steps 2 and 3 land on the center without fuss, and step 7 stops feeling like a guess. Then try a nesting set: fold boxes from 6-inch, 5 1/4-inch (13.3 cm) and 4 1/2-inch (11.4 cm) squares, and each one drops inside the next with a little room to spare. A nested set in one color family makes a ready gift for rings, earrings or sewing notions.