Origami Square Base

The origami square base is one of the most important starting points in origami.

Made using simple valley and mountain folds, this base serves as the foundation for many traditional models, including birds, flowers, and boxes.

Let’s break this basic fold down step by step!

If you've ever folded an origami crane or a simple paper flower, chances are you've already used the square base!

This essential origami base is formed by making a few easy folds and then collapsing the paper into a square shape.

It's a fundamental building block for many designs, making it a great fold to master early on.

The square base is sometimes called the preliminary base because it serves as a starting point for more complex bases like the bird base and frog base.

It’s created using a mix of valley folds and mountain folds, making it a great way to practice transitioning between different fold types.

Many beginner-friendly origami projects, including flowers, animals, and modular designs, use the square base as a foundation.

Now, let’s walk through the steps to make a perfect square base.

Skill Level

★☆☆☆☆ (Very Easy)

Materials Needed

1 square sheet of origami paper

Instructions

Step 1: Start with the color you want on the outside facing down.

Step 2: Fold the bottom edge up to meet the top edge.

Step 3: Unfold previous step.

Step 4: Fold the left edge to meet the right edge.

Step 5: Unfold previous step.

Step 6: Flip your paper over and arrange it so it sits like a diamond shape as shown.

Step 7: Fold the bottom point up to meet the top point.

Step 8: Unfold previous step.

Step 9: Fold the left point to meet the right point.

Step 10: Unfold previous step.

Step 11: Flip your paper over from left to right (make sure it still sits like a diamond shape).

Step 12: Hold both the left and right points as shown and gently push in the centre where all the creases meet.

Then bring the corners inward and toward the bottom point. You will find the paper starts to collapse on itself to form a square. Completed square origami base.

Common Uses

Many popular origami models begin with the square base, including:

• Day Lily Origami Flower – A stunning floral design that builds on this base.
• Easy Origami Bowl – A simple and practical model for holding small items.
• Origami Lily – A traditional and elegant flower design.

Related Folds

If you’ve mastered the square base, try these next:

• Bird Base – A variation of the square base used for bird-shaped origami.
• Water Bomb Fold – A similar base used for inflatable origami designs.
• Blintz Fold – A technique that folds all four corners to the center.

Helpful Origami Tips

If you're curious to learn more about origami, you might like to look at our basic guides on how to make some common origami folds.

Start with the valley fold and mountain fold—these are the foundation of most origami models.

Once you're comfortable, you might like to try the petal fold for 3D shapes, and explore the bird base and square base for more complex designs.

The water bomb base is also great for creating inflatable or geometric models, like this inflatable origami rabbit.