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Easy Origami Butterfly

Make a butterfly with broad upper wings, pointed lower wings and a narrow folded body. Work through the triangle base, then fold the two wing packets separately.

Preparation + 13 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm), preferably thin origami paper. Ruler and pencil for the wing guide points. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Folded paper butterfly with two pointed wing pairs and a narrow central body
Finished butterfly · paired pointed wings and a narrow body

Follow along

Preparation

The interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.

Camera only; does not change the fold.
Help · controls & diagram

Play or drag the progress slider to watch a fold from 0% to 100%. Use the view buttons or drag the diagram to look from another angle.

Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves of one sheet. Dark tones show the reverse. Orange identifies a moving packet and its hinge.

With the diagram focused: Space plays or pauses, ←/→ change steps, and Home resets.

Every step, at a glance

Compare your paper with each diagram after completing the action. Blue and gold identify the original left and right halves of one sheet. Dark tones show the reverse. Orange identifies a moving packet and its hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Crease the first diagonal
  3. 2. Open the square
  4. 3. Crease the other diagonal
  5. 4. Open again
  6. 5. Crease across the middle
  7. 6. Reopen the middle fold
  8. 7. Close the triangle base
  9. 8. Raise the lower packet
  10. 9. Lower the left front wing
  11. 10. Lower the right front wing
  12. 11. Fold the body backward
  13. 12. Fold the near wing back
  14. 13. Fold the far wing and finish
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: gold6-inch square

    PREPARATION · Butterfly 3

    Prepare the square

    Place the square with horizontal top and bottom edges, intended color face down.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: All four sides measure 6 inches.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTop left to bottom right

    STEP 1 · Butterfly 3

    Crease the first diagonal

    Bring the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner; press the diagonal.

    Layers: Fold one half of the sheet.

    Check: Opposite corners and edges match.

    Explore this step ↑
  3. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen fully

    STEP 2 · Butterfly 3

    Open the square

    Unfold the diagonal completely.

    Layers: Return the entire folded half.

    Check: The square lies flat.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTop right to bottom left

    STEP 3 · Butterfly 3

    Crease the other diagonal

    Bring the top-right corner to the bottom-left corner and crease.

    Layers: Move the other diagonal half.

    Check: The new crease crosses the first at the center.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen fully

    STEP 4 · Butterfly 3

    Open again

    Unfold completely to reveal both diagonals.

    Layers: Open the whole packet.

    Check: An X joins all four corners.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTop edge behind to bottom edge

    STEP 5 · Butterfly 3

    Crease across the middle

    Fold the top edge behind the paper to meet the bottom edge. Press the horizontal middle crease.

    Layers: Move the full upper half away from you.

    Check: The horizontal crease bends opposite to the diagonals.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldOpen fully

    STEP 6 · Butterfly 3

    Reopen the middle fold

    Open the sheet fully without reversing the crease direction.

    Layers: Move the entire upper half back.

    Check: The square has two diagonal creases and one horizontal crease.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. CLOSE ALONG THE PRECREASESOriginal left: blue · right: goldSide middles inward; top edge down

    STEP 7 · Butterfly 3

    Close the triangle base

    Push the left and right middle-edge points inward while bringing the top edge down to the bottom edge. Flatten the two triangular faces.

    Layers: The two side pockets fold between the broad front and back triangles; keep every layer connected.

    Check: A 6-inch base lies below a centered apex 3 inches high.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldAll layers · hinge 1.4 in above base

    STEP 8 · Butterfly 3

    Raise the lower packet

    Measure 1.4 inches (3.56 cm) up from the base. Fold the entire lower portion upward along a horizontal line at that height.

    Layers: Carry every layer below the line together.

    Check: The new top edge is 2.8 inches above the old base; a small apex remains visible above it.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFront left packet · center to shoulder

    STEP 9 · Butterfly 3

    Lower the left front wing

    Find the center of the new top edge. Fold the front left corner down on a line joining this center to the left end of the lower horizontal edge.

    Layers: Move the front triangle and its attached inner left layer. Leave the rear wing still.

    Check: A long pointed wing hangs below the left shoulder.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFront right packet · center to shoulder

    STEP 10 · Butterfly 3

    Lower the right front wing

    Repeat from the top-edge center to the right end of the lower horizontal edge. Press the right front corner downward.

    Layers: Move the front right packet with its attached inner layer, leaving the other wings still.

    Check: Two lower points hang below the broad upper wings.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRight half behind left

    STEP 11 · Butterfly 3

    Fold the body backward

    Bring the right half behind the left along the vertical middle line.

    Layers: Move every layer on the right together.

    Check: The two wing pairs overlap; the center fold becomes the body.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldNear wing · narrow body stays still

    STEP 12 · Butterfly 3

    Fold the near wing back

    Find the lower end of the straight center fold, where it meets the lower horizontal body edge. From there, crease toward a mark on the upper wing edge 0.175 inch (about 4.5 mm) left of center. Fold the near wing back, leaving it slightly lifted rather than pressing it completely flat.

    Layers: Move all layers belonging to the near wing; the far wing stays in place.

    Check: A narrow wedge beside the center crease remains the body. Its lower end stays fixed.

    Explore this step ↑
  14. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFar wing · match the near wing

    STEP 13 · Butterfly 3

    Fold the far wing and finish

    Repeat the same crease on the far wing in the opposite direction. Adjust both wings evenly, keeping the body pinched.

    Layers: Move the complete far wing packet. Keep the finished near wing still.

    Check: Two matching pairs of pointed wings spread from the narrow body. The small upper tip remains visible.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Club; diagram copyright Fumiaki Shingu, Butterfly 3 (undated tutorial).

Complete folding diagram ↗

The source diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. Designer attribution and a design-reuse license have not been independently established; this guide does not label the design traditional or public domain. The source text, photographs and diagrams remain separately protected. All English instructions, geometry, diagrams and PDF here are independently authored; no source media or code are included.

Adaptation: Uses a 6-inch square and explicit ruler landmarks. The source makes its triangle base with two squash folds; this guide substitutes diagonal and transverse precreases followed by one connected waterbomb collapse to the same base. The lower packet hinge is 1.4 inches above the triangle base. Wing hinges join the raised center to points on the shoulders. The source rotates the closed model before folding its wings; we keep it upright. Final wings stop 20 degrees short of flat to show them separately; this is an adjustable display angle.

Original instructions and diagrams, made with AI assistance. About & reuse

Accuracy notes

Real-paper follow-along and paper weight have not been tested. Diagrams illustrate the sequence, not paper thickness, contact, collisions or exact layer visibility. One connected square represented by material-preserving panels and rigid wing folds. Zero-thickness teaching model, not a paper-contact simulation. Physical folding has not been tested.