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Easy Flat Origami Ghost

Fold a flat Halloween ghost with two pointed side flaps and a tail that turns to one side. The body is one uncut square; add optional pen eyes and a mouth after the final turnover.

Preparation + 12 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin origami paper. White on both sides makes a pale ghost; contrasting sides help you follow the folds. Ruler and pencil for the shaping marks; optional pen for the face. No cuts or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Easy Flat Origami Ghost: A broad head, two side flaps and a crooked floating tail
A broad head, two side flaps and a crooked floating tail

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, not literal paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange outlines mark moving paper and its hinge. The final eyes and mouth are optional ink, not cuts or added paper.

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, not literal paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange outlines mark moving paper and its hinge. The final eyes and mouth are optional ink, not cuts or added paper.

  1. 0. Prepare the diamond
  2. 1. Crease the center
  3. 2. Open the diamond
  4. 3. Fold in the right lower edge
  5. 4. Fold in the left lower edge
  6. 5. Turn the right flap outward
  7. 6. Turn the left flap outward
  8. 7. Fold the right shoulder inward
  9. 8. Fold the left shoulder inward
  10. 9. Flatten the pointed head
  11. 10. Bend the floating tail left
  12. 11. Turn to the plain ghost
  13. 12. Add an optional ghost face
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the diamond

    PREPARATION · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Prepare the diamond

    Place the square with one point upward. If the two sides differ, put the intended finished ghost color facing down.

    Layers: One uncut flat square.

    Check: The top and bottom corners share a vertical diagonal.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease the center

    STEP 1 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Crease the center

    Bring the right point to the left point and press the vertical fold.

    Layers: Move the whole right half.

    Check: The side corners coincide.

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

    STEP 2 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Open the diamond

    Unfold the right half fully.

    Layers: Open the same half.

    Check: The vertical center crease remains.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold in the right lower edge

    STEP 3 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Fold in the right lower edge

    Bring the lower right sloping edge onto the center crease. Keep the bottom point fixed.

    Layers: Move the complete right corner flap.

    Check: The old lower edge rests on the center line.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold in the left lower edge

    STEP 4 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Fold in the left lower edge

    Bring the lower left sloping edge onto the same center crease.

    Layers: Move the left corner flap only.

    Check: Two front flaps meet along the center and their upper edges are level.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn the right flap outward

    STEP 5 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Turn the right flap outward

    Mark the center seam 2.49 inches below where the two upper flap edges meet. Fold the right front flap outward and down on the 45-degree line from this mark to the outer right shoulder.

    Layers: Move only the right kite flap. Keep the broad backing flat.

    Check: The released point reaches the bottom of a short vertical outer edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn the left flap outward

    STEP 6 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Turn the left flap outward

    Make the matching outward fold from the same center mark to the outer left shoulder.

    Layers: Move only the left front kite flap.

    Check: A plain diamond sits above the long lower point, with a lowered flap on each side.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the right shoulder inward

    STEP 7 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Fold the right shoulder inward

    Find the midpoint of the upper right sloping edge between the top point and the outer shoulder. Fold inward on the line from that midpoint to the lower right outer corner.

    Layers: Carry all layers of the right shoulder, including the attached outward flap beneath it.

    Check: A narrow folded strip borders the central head; its lower side point remains out.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the left shoulder inward

    STEP 8 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Fold the left shoulder inward

    Repeat from the midpoint of the upper left sloping edge to the lower left outer corner.

    Layers: Move the full matching shoulder packet.

    Check: The central head is framed by two narrow strips and two outward side points.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFlatten the pointed head

    STEP 9 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Flatten the pointed head

    Measure 1 inch down the center crease from the top tip. Fold that small top triangle down on a horizontal crease through the mark.

    Layers: Move the complete upper packet; keep the long lower point still.

    Check: A flat top replaces the sharp head point.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldBend the floating tail left

    STEP 10 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Bend the floating tail left

    Mark the center seam 1.54 inches above the bottom point. Draw a guide through it that rises 0.75 inches for every 1 inch to the right. Fold the entire lower tip up and left on this sloping line.

    Layers: Move all paper below the guide, including the hidden kite layers. Leave the head and side points still.

    Check: The tail tip now points left rather than straight down.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn to the plain ghost

    STEP 11 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Turn to the plain ghost

    Turn the entire model over from side to side, keeping the flat head at the top.

    Layers: Turn the head, both side flaps and the tail together.

    Check: The plain body faces you and the crooked tail points right.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldAdd an optional ghost face

    STEP 12 · Origami Club easy ghost · measured adaptation

    Add an optional ghost face

    Leave the ghost plain, or draw two eyes and a mouth on the broad head. The example shows oval eyes and a small open mouth. Smooth the completed model for a flat Halloween display.

    Layers: No paper moves. The dark face is optional pen ink, not holes or extra paper.

    Check: A flat-topped ghost has two side points and one crooked tail.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Club; source diagram copyright credit: Fumiaki Shingu, An Easy Ghost (undated web diagram).

Easy ghost source ↗ · Complete folding diagram ↗

The source diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. Design authorship and design-reuse permission have not been independently established; this model is not labeled traditional or public domain. No reference drawings, wording or animation are reproduced. These English instructions, geometry, diagrams and optional ink face are original.

Adaptation: Uses the easy ghost2 sequence, not the different pocket-squash Halloween ghost. Paired folds are separated into individual actions. The source leaves shaping undimensioned: our 6-inch-square version uses 45-degree outward flaps, side hinges from upper-edge midpoints to the lowered outer corners, a 1-inch top fold and a measured sloping all-layer tail fold. The final whole turnover exposes a plain head and body. Eyes and an open oval mouth are optional original pen decoration, not extra geometry.

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.