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Origami Mikan Mandarin
Four corner folds form a mandarin with a projecting top. Follow the complete folding sequence with one uncut square.
Preparation + 9 numbered steps
Materials
6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches
One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm) of thin origami paper. Ruler and pencil for shaping landmarks. Optional pen for decorative details. No scissors or glue.
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Arrow keys rotate when focused.
Follow along
PreparationThe interactive guide needs JavaScript. Read every illustrated step below.
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 the literal paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange highlights moving paper 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, not the literal paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange highlights moving paper and its hinge.
- 0. Prepare the diamond
- 1. Lower the top corner
- 2. Raise the bottom corner
- 3. Fold the right corner inward
- 4. Fold the left corner inward
- 5. Soften the upper right corner
- 6. Soften the upper left corner
- 7. Soften the lower right corner
- 8. Soften the lower left corner
- 9. Turn over the mandarin
PREPARATION · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Prepare the diamond
Place the square with one point at the top and the intended fruit color facing down.
Layers: One flat square.
Check: Top and bottom points line up.
Explore this step ↑STEP 1 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Lower the top corner
Measure 2.55 inches down from the top point. Fold the top toward the center on a horizontal line through that mark.
Layers: Move the single top corner.
Check: The point ends just below the original center.
Explore this step ↑STEP 2 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Raise the bottom corner
Measure 3.22 inches up from the bottom point. Fold the lower corner upward.
Layers: Move the complete lower triangle.
Check: Its tip projects above the upper horizontal fold.
Explore this step ↑STEP 3 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Fold the right corner inward
Measure 1.95 inches to the right of the original center. Fold the whole right side inward along a vertical line there.
Layers: Carry all layers in the right corner.
Check: A straight side connects two sloping shoulders.
Explore this step ↑STEP 4 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Fold the left corner inward
Mirror the vertical fold 1.95 inches left of center.
Layers: Carry the entire left corner packet.
Check: The body is wide with a small triangle at the top.
Explore this step ↑STEP 5 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Soften the upper right corner
Fold a small corner inward. The 45-degree crease joins marks 0.35 inches from the current corner along its two edges.
Layers: Carry all layers at the corner.
Check: A short diagonal replaces the square corner.
Explore this step ↑STEP 6 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Soften the upper left corner
Mirror the 0.35-inch corner fold at the upper left.
Layers: Carry all corner layers.
Check: Both shoulders are beveled.
Explore this step ↑STEP 7 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Soften the lower right corner
Repeat the same 0.35-inch shaping fold at the lower right corner.
Layers: Move every layer at the corner.
Check: The lower right outline is diagonal.
Explore this step ↑STEP 8 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Soften the lower left corner
Mirror the small shaping fold on the left.
Layers: Carry the complete small corner packet.
Check: All four corners are beveled.
Explore this step ↑STEP 9 · Origami Club construction; measured adaptation
Turn over the mandarin
Turn the model over. Optionally add tiny dots on the body and color the projecting triangle green.
Layers: Turn every layer together. Decoration is optional ink.
Check: A flat mandarin with beveled corners is complete.
Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes
Diagram credit: Fumiaki Shingu / Origami Club; design origin unestablished, Origami Club: Origami Mikan Mandarin (web diagram).
The reference credits copyright to Fumiaki Shingu. This does not establish that the model is traditional or grant a design-reuse license. Reference artwork and prose are not reproduced. These English instructions, continuous geometry and diagrams are independently authored. No project-wide reuse license is implied.
Adaptation: Follows the five-panel Mikan diagram. The two horizontal folds and two vertical folds use authored symmetric landmarks. The small top triangle comes from the lower corner, unlike the kite-and-return construction of the apple. Optional dots or coloring are ink, not additional paper. Four small 0.35-inch corner bevels are shown as separate shaping actions to make the rounded outline explicit.
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 uncut square with original material coordinates and rigid hinge motions. Shaping distances are authored teaching landmarks, not measurements supplied by the reference. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not certify thickness, contact or physical foldability. Real-paper folding has not been tested.