Origami butterfly: how to fold one in simple steps

The waterbomb-base butterfly is a common first butterfly model: it needs one square and no cuts, and it still looks like a butterfly when the folds are slightly off. Its weak point is the lock. Nothing but a small folded point holds the layers together, so whether the model stays closed depends on two details beginners rarely notice: how far that point reaches over the top edge, and how sharply it is creased. Get those right and the butterfly survives being taped to a wall, strung on a garland or pushed into a houseplant. Get them wrong and it slowly opens back into a triangle.

An origami butterfly folds from one 6-inch (15 cm) square: you collapse the square into a waterbomb base, fold its front flaps into a diamond, flip it, fold the bottom point up past the top edge and lock that point behind the model. A gentle center fold then lifts the four wings.

Paper for an origami butterfly

Standard origami paper, called kami, suits this model best: thin, crisp squares colored on one side and white on the other. The 6-inch size is the easiest to learn on. The colored side covers almost every visible surface of the finished wings, so a patterned sheet, known as chiyogami, shows off well here.

• 6-inch kami or chiyogami: the finished butterfly spans close to the full width of the square before you shape the wings.
• 3-inch (7.5 cm) squares: the illustrated tutorial for this butterfly notes that small sheets also work, sized for butterflies perched on houseplants.
• A bone folder or the back of a metal spoon for sharp creases, plus an optional glue dot: the same tutorial suggests a little glue under the top flap when a paper will not hold the lock.

Skip cardstock and construction paper. Several layers stack up at the center of the model, and thick paper will not collapse cleanly or stay locked. Packs of origami paper in solid colors and prints are sold at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Walmart and Amazon.

Fold language and paper orientation

Origami instructions use two basic folds. A valley fold bends the paper toward you, so the crease sinks like a valley. A mountain fold bends it away from you, so the crease rises like a ridge. Turning the sheet over changes every valley into a mountain, which is why this butterfly is creased on both sides before the collapse.

The model is turned over twice, in two different directions. In step 5 you flip it top to bottom, so the top point ends up at the bottom; in step 8 you flip it side to side, like turning a page.

A collapse folds several existing creases at once, so the paper drops flat into a new shape. The illustrated tutorial, with diagrams by Jimena Candia, rates this butterfly Easy (Beginner Level 2), about 5 minutes of folding, and presents it as a variation, by an unknown designer, of Akira Yoshizawa's butterfly. After a few easy origami models, the soft fold in step 6, creased at the center only, is likely the one new move.

How to fold an origami butterfly step by step

Work on a hard, flat table, with the edges of the square lined up with the table edge for the first three steps. Crease every fold with a fingernail or bone folder. The collapse in step 3 only drops into place cleanly when all four creases are sharp, and a crooked crease there shows up as lopsided wings later.

Build the waterbomb base

1. Crease the square in half both ways. Place the paper colored side up. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge, crease and unfold. Then fold the left edge over to the right edge, crease and unfold. You now have a plus sign of creases.
2. Crease both diagonals. Turn the paper over so the white side faces up. Fold the bottom-left corner up to the top-right corner, crease and unfold. Repeat with the bottom-right corner to the top-left corner. Seen from this white side, the diagonals are valley folds and the horizontal crease is a mountain fold.
3. Collapse into a triangle. Keep the white side up. Pinch the left and right ends of the horizontal crease (the midpoints of the side edges) and push them down and inward until they meet at the middle of the bottom edge. The top corners come down onto the bottom corners and the sheet flattens into a triangle, point at the top, long edge at the bottom, colored side out, with two flaps in front and two behind. This is the waterbomb base.

Shape the wings and set the lock

1. Fold the front flaps up. On the front layer only, fold the bottom-left corner up to meet the top point, then do the same with the bottom-right corner. The two flaps meet along the center line, and the front of the model becomes a diamond sitting on the larger triangle.
2. Turn the model over, top to bottom. Flip it so the point that was at the top now points down and the long edge runs across the top. The side facing you is the plain back of the triangle, with a crease down the center; the diamond from step 4 lies underneath.
3. Fold the point up softly. Pinch the bottom point of the layer facing you and lift it straight up, past the top edge, until about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) sticks out above it; the fold runs across the triangle a little above its middle. As the point rises, the paper at the left and right sides of the fold swings outward and curves. Let it, and run your fingertip along the center of the fold only.
4. Settle the lower wings. Hold the raised point in place with one finger. With your other hand, lay the two halves of the diamond from step 4 flat so they point down below the fold, one on each side of the center line, with a narrow slit between them. These are the lower wings. Leave the curved sides unpressed.
5. Lock the point. Fold the small point that sticks out above the top edge down behind the model (a mountain fold) and crease it firmly. This tab holds all the layers together. Then turn the model over side to side.
6. Lift the wings. The locked point now shows as a small triangle at the top center. Fold the model gently in half along its vertical center line, wings toward you, then let the wings open partway. The soft center crease keeps the wings raised and helps hold the lock in place.

When the butterfly won't hold its shape

A butterfly that springs open or comes out lopsided can usually be saved without starting a new one. Unfold back to the step where the fault began, sharpen or move that crease, and refold from there. A fresh square is only worth it when the paper itself is too thick or springy to hold a crease.

• The collapse in step 3 fights you. The horizontal crease is bending the wrong way. With the white side up, pinch it into a ridge along its whole length, then push the side midpoints in again.
• The lock pops open, or the head looks long. The point in step 6 is the wrong length. Unfold steps 8 and 6, then refold step 6 so more of the point sticks out above the top edge for a firmer lock, or less of it for a shorter head.
• The lower wings are different sizes. The two flaps in step 4 did not meet exactly on the center line. Unfold back to step 4 and line both flap edges up with the center crease before you press them flat.
• The model springs open with sharp creases. The paper is too thick or springy. Recrease the lock with a bone folder, or switch to standard kami.

Display ideas and size changes

A finished paper butterfly weighs almost nothing, so it hangs, sticks or perches with very little support. Fold several from one pack of paper in coordinated colors, and mix 3-inch and 6-inch squares so a group looks natural rather than like a row of copies.

• Attach each butterfly by its body to a wall with washi tape or removable mounting putty, angled in slightly different directions.
• For a garland, tape a thread along the back of each body crease, spacing the butterflies 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) apart.
• Glue a small butterfly to a bamboo skewer and push it into the soil of a potted plant.
• On gift wrap or a card, glue only the body down so the wings stay raised.

When this model feels routine, the national origami society OrigamiUSA lists downloadable folding diagrams, some free and some sold on behalf of their designers. Its difficulty ratings help you pick the next one: Simple models use only mountain and valley folds, and Low Intermediate models add squash and reverse folds.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a waterbomb base and a square base?

They use the same creases folded the opposite way. Seen from the white side, in a waterbomb base the diagonals are valley folds and the horizontal and vertical creases are mountain folds, so the paper collapses into a triangle. Reverse them and it collapses into a smaller square, the square base (also called the preliminary base) that starts the paper crane.

Can you fold an origami butterfly from printer paper?

Yes. Fold one corner of a US Letter (8.5 x 11 in) sheet down so the short top edge lies along the long side, forming a triangle. Cut off the 2.5-inch strip below it and unfold an 8.5-inch square. Copy paper is thicker than kami, so the butterfly comes out larger and the creases slightly rounder. Press the lock in step 8 especially hard.

Is the origami butterfly a traditional Japanese model?

Folded butterflies are among the oldest known representational origami. A pair called Mecho (female) and Ocho (male) has long decorated the sake vessels at traditional Japanese weddings and still appears at formal ceremonies. Those ceremonial butterflies are folded differently from the waterbomb-base version, which is a much later model.

Who was Akira Yoshizawa?

Akira Yoshizawa (1911-2005) was a Japanese folder who designed thousands of models. His system of dashed lines and arrows became the basis of the notation most origami diagrams still use. His butterfly is one of the best-known origami designs. Google marked his 101st birthday on March 14, 2012, with a Doodle featuring his butterfly.

Can kids fold an origami butterfly?

Children who can line up two corners and crease firmly can usually fold it. The collapse in step 3 and the soft fold in step 6 are where younger children tend to need help. Pre-creasing steps 1 and 2 for them, then letting them do the collapse with guidance, keeps the project manageable.

Fold a second butterfly and change only one thing: the length of the point in step 6. A longer point gives a firmer lock and a longer head; a shorter one gives a neater top edge but grips less. Once you know which you prefer, fold a set in 3-inch and 6-inch squares from the same paper and group them on a wall or a houseplant. The waterbomb base you collapsed in step 3 also starts the inflatable waterbomb balloon and the classic origami tulip, so either one makes a natural next project.