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Origami Mouse Face

Fold an offset side flap, return its tip into an upright ear, then shorten the chin to make a small mouse in profile.

Preparation + 7 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 marks; optional pen for an eye, nose and whiskers. No cuts or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Origami Mouse Face: a sideways pointed muzzle with one raised ear and a flat chin
A sideways pointed muzzle with one raised ear and a flat chin

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 track the original halves of one sheet, not your paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange highlights the moving paper and 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 track the original halves of one sheet, not your paper colors. Darker shades show the reverse. Orange highlights the moving paper and hinge.

  1. 0. Prepare the diamond
  2. 1. Crease the center
  3. 2. Open the square
  4. 3. Make the triangle
  5. 4. Close the offset side
  6. 5. Raise the ear
  7. 6. Fold the chin behind
  8. 7. Finish the mouse profile
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the diamond

    PREPARATION · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Prepare the diamond

    Place the square with a point at the top and the intended face color down.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: The top and bottom points line up.

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

    STEP 1 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Crease the center

    Bring the right point across to the left point. Press the vertical crease.

    Layers: Move the full right half.

    Check: The side points coincide.

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

    STEP 2 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Open the square

    Unfold the right half completely.

    Layers: Return the same half to the table.

    Check: A vertical center crease remains.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldMake the triangle

    STEP 3 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Make the triangle

    Bring the top point down to the bottom point.

    Layers: Move the complete upper half.

    Check: The closed edge is level across the top.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldClose the offset side

    STEP 4 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Close the offset side

    Mark the top edge 0.85 inches right of its midpoint. Fold the right corner leftward on a vertical line through that mark.

    Layers: Carry both layers of the right side together.

    Check: The right edge is vertical; the folded corner stops 2.55 inches left of the original midpoint.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRaise the ear

    STEP 5 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Raise the ear

    On the top edge mark 0.64 inches left of the original midpoint. On the original center crease mark 3.39 inches below the top. Join these marks and fold the free side flap outward and up along that sloping line.

    Layers: Move only the complete two-layer side flap; leave the broad face underneath flat.

    Check: One pointed ear rises above the top edge while the long muzzle points left.

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  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the chin behind

    STEP 6 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Fold the chin behind

    Mark a horizontal line 2.55 inches below the original top edge. Fold all paper below it away from you and behind the face.

    Layers: Carry every layer in the lower tip, including the bottom of the ear packet.

    Check: The bottom becomes level without shortening the left-pointing muzzle.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFinish the mouse profile

    STEP 7 · Origami Club mouse diagram; measured shaping adaptation

    Finish the mouse profile

    Press the model flat. If you like, draw one eye below the ear, color the left tip as a nose and add short whiskers.

    Layers: No new fold. Ink is optional decoration, not another paper layer.

    Check: A single raised ear sits behind a long pointed nose and a flat chin.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami Club; diagram copyright credit: Fumiaki Shingu, Origami Club: Mouse (face) (undated web diagram).

Complete reference diagram ↗ · Reference model page ↗

The source diagram credits Fumiaki Shingu. This does not establish traditional status, public-domain status or a design-reuse license. No reference images, prose or code are reproduced. Our English instructions, geometry and diagrams are independently authored; no project-wide reuse license is implied.

Adaptation: The reference middle panels appear numbered out of construction order: the broad triangle labeled 4 must precede the narrowed packet labeled 3. We follow that material sequence: offset vertical closure, oblique ear return, rear chin fold. Exact shaping marks on a six-inch square are authored choices, not source measurements. Optional facial marks are drawn by the learner, not extra paper.

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. Rigid hinges preserve one continuous uncut square and carry both layers of the offset side flap and ear. Zero-thickness teaching geometry is not a thickness/contact certificate. Real-paper folding has not been tested.