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Easy Origami Whale

Fold a square into a kite, shorten the top point and close the body. A simple upward fold across the whole narrow end makes the raised tail of this flat paper whale.

Preparation + 8 numbered steps

Materials

6-inch square · 6 × 6 inches

One 6 × 6-inch square (15.24 × 15.24 cm), preferably thin origami paper. A ruler and pencil help mark the illustrated tail angle. No scissors or glue.

Start the interactive guide ↓
Read all illustrated steps ↓Download PDF ↓ · one-page illustrated guide
Flat folded paper whale with a broad truncated head at right and one raised pointed tail at left
Finished flat whale · single raised 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 track the original left and right halves of one sheet. Darker tones show the reverse. Orange marks 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 track the original left and right halves of one sheet. Darker tones show the reverse. Orange marks moving paper and hinges.

  1. 0. Prepare the square
  2. 1. Mark the center
  3. 2. Reopen the square
  4. 3. Fold the lower right edge in
  5. 4. Fold the lower left edge in
  6. 5. Shorten the top point
  7. 6. Close the body behind
  8. 7. Turn the point to the left
  9. 8. Fold the tail upward
  1. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: gold6-inch square · color face down

    PREPARATION · Kite-base whale

    Prepare the square

    Lay the square as a diamond, with one corner pointing down. Start with the intended outside color facing down.

    Layers: One uncut square.

    Check: All four sides are equal; the left and right corners are level.

    Explore this step ↑
  2. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldRight corner to left

    STEP 1 · Kite-base whale

    Mark the center

    Bring the right corner onto the left corner. Align the edges and press the vertical fold between the top and bottom points.

    Layers: Lift the whole right half.

    Check: The side corners meet exactly.

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

    STEP 2 · Kite-base whale

    Reopen the square

    Undo the last fold and lay the diamond flat. Keep the new vertical crease as your alignment guide.

    Layers: Return the whole right half.

    Check: The square is open with a crease joining its top and bottom points.

    Explore this step ↑
  4. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower right edge to center

    STEP 3 · Kite-base whale

    Fold the lower right edge in

    Bring the lower right sloping edge onto the center crease. Keep the bottom point in place and press the new diagonal hinge.

    Layers: Move the outer right corner and its attached lower triangle.

    Check: The lower right edge now runs up the center from the bottom point.

    Explore this step ↑
  5. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldLower left edge to center

    STEP 4 · Kite-base whale

    Fold the lower left edge in

    Mirror the fold on the left, bringing the lower left edge onto the same center crease.

    Layers: Move the outer left triangle; leave the completed right flap flat.

    Check: Both edges meet along the center. Their upper ends meet at a junction below the free top corner.

    Explore this step ↑
  6. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldTop tip to the edge junction

    STEP 5 · Kite-base whale

    Shorten the top point

    Fold the free top corner down to the junction where the two folded edges end. Press the short horizontal hinge.

    Layers: Move the top triangle, keeping the long lower point flat.

    Check: The top tip touches the junction; a short flat edge replaces the old top point.

    Explore this step ↑
  7. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldWhole right packet goes behind

    STEP 6 · Kite-base whale

    Close the body behind

    Fold the right half away from you, behind the left half, along the vertical center crease. Keep every small flap with its side.

    Layers: Carry the entire right packet, including the folded kite flap and its half of the shortened top.

    Check: A narrow packet has a straight right edge, a long downward point and a blunt top.

    Explore this step ↑
  8. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldQuarter turn clockwise · no new crease

    STEP 7 · Kite-base whale

    Turn the point to the left

    Rotate the entire closed packet clockwise a quarter turn on the table. Do not turn it over.

    Layers: Move every layer together without opening the body.

    Check: The narrow tail points left; the straight bottom edge is horizontal and the broad head is at the right.

    Explore this step ↑
  9. END STATEOriginal left: blue · right: goldWhole tail folds toward you and upFrom tail: P 2.76 in along bottomQ 2.21 in along slope · crease P–Q

    STEP 8 · Kite-base whale

    Fold the tail upward

    From the left tail tip, mark P about 2.76 inches (7.00 cm) along the straight bottom edge. From that same tip, mark Q about 2.21 inches (5.61 cm) along the sloping upper edge. Connect P to Q. Lift the whole pointed end toward you and fold it up across this line, then press flat. These marks set the illustrated angle.

    Layers: All tail layers move together over the front of the body, including the folded-in kite flaps. Keep the broad head still; do not open the packet or tuck the tail inside.

    Check: The single tail point rises above the body at the left. The broad head and straight bottom remain. Your flat whale is complete.

    Explore this step ↑
Sources & notes

Origami-Instructions.com, Easy Origami Whale (undated tutorial).

Easy Origami Whale — construction reference ↗ · Source terms of use ↗

The selected reference does not establish the original designer or a design license. Tutorial authorship is separate from model authorship. Source photographs and text remain protected; public access does not grant reuse permission. This guide independently authors its English, code, diagrams and PDF without copying source media or prose. No public-domain status or project-wide license is asserted.

Adaptation: Uses the kite-base whale with an ordinary all-layer tail upfold, not a reverse fold or a fish-base variant. An exact 6-inch square, separate center reopening and clockwise handling turn make the sequence explicit. The tail angle and ruler landmarks are authored choices, not measured from the source: with D = 3√2 inches and K = √2 − 1, P is 0.65D from the tail along the bottom and Q is 0.65D√(1 + K²)/(1 + 0.85K) along the sloping edge. The animation folds across P–Q. Other tail angles are possible. This flat model has one pointed tail and no separate fins; no swimming behavior is claimed.

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 36-square-inch sheet with rigid hinges, continuous original-material seams and both original halves carried in the tail. Zero-thickness teaching geometry; paper thickness and contact are not simulated. Real-paper folding has not been tested.