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Easy Origami Penguin

Make a complete flat penguin with a broad belly, a small downward beak and two pointed flippers. Each shaping step is an ordinary fold; the whole sheet stays connected.

Preparation + 13 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm), preferably thin paper colored on one side and white on the other. A ruler and pencil help place the folds; a pen is optional for eyes. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat folded paper penguin with a broad belly, downward triangular beak, short flat crown and two pointed flippers
Finished flat penguin · folded beak and two flippers

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 halves of one sheet, not black and white paper colors. Darker tones show the reverse. Orange identifies moving paper and hinges.

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 halves of one sheet, not black and white paper colors. Darker tones show the reverse. Orange identifies moving paper and hinges.

  1. 0. Prepare the diamond
  2. 1. Crease vertically
  3. 2. Reopen the diamond
  4. 3. Crease horizontally
  5. 4. Open the square again
  6. 5. Raise the belly
  7. 6. Fold the small beak down
  8. 7. Turn the whole model over
  9. 8. Fold the right side inward
  10. 9. Fold the left side inward
  11. 10. Return the left flipper outward
  12. 11. Return the right flipper outward
  13. 12. Flatten the top of the head
  14. 13. Reveal your penguin
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldPrepare the diamond

    PREPARATION · Origami Club flat penguin

    Prepare the diamond

    Place the square with its colored face up and a corner pointing upward. The white reverse will become the belly.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: Left and right corners are level.

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

    STEP 1 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Crease vertically

    Bring the right corner onto the left corner and press the fold between the top and bottom corners.

    Layers: Lift the entire right half.

    Check: Both side corners meet.

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

    STEP 2 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Reopen the diamond

    Return the right half to the table.

    Layers: Unfold the entire half.

    Check: The vertical center crease remains.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldCrease horizontally

    STEP 3 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Crease horizontally

    Bring the bottom corner onto the top corner and press the fold between the side corners.

    Layers: Lift the entire lower half.

    Check: Top and bottom corners meet.

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

    STEP 4 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Open the square again

    Lower the bottom half back to the table.

    Layers: Unfold the complete half.

    Check: Two creases cross at the center.

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

    STEP 5 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Raise the belly

    Mark a point 0.85 inch (2.16 cm) below the center. Fold the bottom corner upward along a horizontal line through that mark.

    Layers: Lift all paper below the new hinge.

    Check: A white triangle covers the lower center; its point is 2.55 inches above the center.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the small beak down

    STEP 6 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Fold the small beak down

    Mark 1.53 inches (3.88 cm) above the original center on the raised triangle. Fold its tip down along a horizontal line through the mark.

    Layers: Fold only the raised triangle tip; leave the backing flat.

    Check: A small colored triangle points down above the belly.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. TURN THE WHOLE PACKETOriginal left: blue · right: goldTurn the whole model over

    STEP 7 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Turn the whole model over

    Turn the complete packet over from side to side, keeping the top corner upward.

    Layers: Carry every layer together.

    Check: The belly and beak face the table.

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

    STEP 8 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Fold the right side inward

    Mark 1.70 inches (4.31 cm) to the right of the vertical center. Fold the entire right side inward along a vertical line through this mark.

    Layers: Carry every layer beyond the line, including the belly edge underneath.

    Check: The original right corner crosses slightly beyond the center.

    Explore this step ↑
  10. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFold the left side inward

    STEP 9 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Fold the left side inward

    Repeat on a vertical line 1.70 inches (4.31 cm) left of center.

    Layers: Carry the complete left side packet; keep the right packet flat.

    Check: Two vertical sides frame the tall narrow body.

    Explore this step ↑
  11. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReturn the left flipper outward

    STEP 10 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Return the left flipper outward

    On the left folded-in side flap, mark a vertical line 0.85 inch (2.16 cm) left of center, halfway from center to the body edge. Fold the free part of this flap back outward over that line.

    Layers: Lift only the left side flap and its attached belly layer. Do not fold the central backing.

    Check: A pointed flipper projects to the left; its hinge stays inside the body edge.

    Explore this step ↑
  12. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldReturn the right flipper outward

    STEP 11 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Return the right flipper outward

    Repeat on the right side flap along a vertical line 0.85 inch (2.16 cm) right of center, halfway from center to the body edge.

    Layers: Lift only the right side flap and its attached belly layer. Keep the backing and left flipper still.

    Check: The two flippers project evenly on either side.

    Explore this step ↑
  13. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldFlatten the top of the head

    STEP 12 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Flatten the top of the head

    Measure 0.51 inch (1.29 cm) down from the top point. Fold that small triangle down along a horizontal line.

    Layers: Move the small top triangle only.

    Check: A short horizontal edge replaces the pointed crown.

    Explore this step ↑
  14. TURN THE WHOLE PACKETOriginal left: blue · right: goldReveal your penguin

    STEP 13 · Origami Club flat penguin

    Reveal your penguin

    Turn the entire model over from side to side. Keep the flat head at the top. You may draw two eyes above the beak with a pen.

    Layers: All layers turn together; eyes are optional ink, not extra paper.

    Check: Your flat penguin is complete: a broad belly, a downward beak, a flat-topped head and two pointed flippers.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Fumiaki Shingu / Origami Club, Penguin — Easy Origami (undated diagram).

Complete construction diagram ↗

The source diagram explicitly credits copyright to Fumiaki Shingu. This is not an assertion of traditional or public-domain design, and no design license has been established. Public access is not permission to reuse its text or media. Our English, geometry, diagrams and PDF are independently authored; no source artwork is bundled.

Adaptation: Preserves all eight source panels, separating paired folds, both cross-crease reopenings and whole-sheet turnovers. Uses a six-inch square and authored ruler landmarks rather than claiming exact measurements from the diagram: with D = 3√2 inches from center to a corner, the belly hinge is 0.2D below center, the beak hinge 0.36D above center, the side hinges 0.4D from center, the flipper return hinges 0.2D from center, and the crown hinge 0.88D above center. These side and flipper positions keep each returning tip clear of the opposite fixed flap. Flippers return only their attached side packets, not the backing. Optional eyes may be drawn after folding. This complete flat variation is not the standing reverse-fold penguin.

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 36-square-inch sheet, rigid folds, original-material continuity and separate attached flipper packets. Zero-thickness teaching diagrams do not simulate paper thickness or contact. Real-paper folding has not been tested.