| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| A4 | A rectangular paper size where the longer edge is equal to the diagonal of a square formed by the shorter edge, maintaining a 1:√2 ratio. |
| Action model | An origami creation that performs an action, like flying, flapping, or popping. |
| Adult origami | Origami with mature or erotic themes, also known as Naughty Origami or Pornigami. |
| AEP | Spanish Paperfolding Association. |
| Back-coating | Bonding two different sheets, like tissue and foil, to create one laminated sheet. |
| Base | A starting fold structure used as the foundation for creating various origami models. |
| Bird base | A standard base made by petal folding both sides of a preliminary base. |
| Book fold | Folding one side of the square across to meet the opposite edge, like closing a book. |
| BOGS | British Origami Gourmet Society—folders who enjoy paper folding during meals. |
| BOS | British Origami Society. |
| Blintz | Folding all four corners of a square toward the center. |
| Box-pleating | A technique involving paper pleats to produce narrow points, developed by Neal Elias. |
| Bronco sinkin | A legendary fold or mythical origami figure. |
| Canson | A French paper brand often used in wet-folding. |
| CDO | Centro Diffusione Origami—Italy’s national origami group. |
| Chapeaugraphy | The transformation of a felt ring into various hat shapes. |
| Circular origami | Origami that starts with a circular sheet of paper. |
| Closed sink | A sink fold done without unfolding the model first. |
| Collapse | Bringing together layers of a pre-creased paper into a new form. |
| Convention | A gathering of paperfolders, usually over a weekend. |
| Crane | A refined version of the flapping bird model with a slimmer neck and tail. |
| Crease | A fold line in paper. |
| Crease pattern | A map of all folds in a completed origami model, visible when unfolded flat. |
| Cupboard fold | Folding both the left and right edges of a square to meet at the center. |
| Diagonal fold | Folding one corner across to the opposite corner to create a diagonal crease. |
| Diamond base | A base made by folding pairs of edges toward a diagonal line of a square. |
| Dog base | A folding base used for animal models, created by John Montroll. |
| Dollar Bill Fold | See money folding—using banknotes as origami paper. |
| Duo | Paper that has a different color on each side. |
| Elephant Hide | Durable German-made paper favored for wet-folding. |
| ELFA | A group that studies the history and science of envelope and letter folding. |
| Elias pleating | Another name for box-pleating, developed by Neal Elias. |
| Fabrigami | Origami done with stiffened or laminated fabric. |
| Fish base | A base commonly used as a foundation for fish models. |
| Flapping Bird | A traditional origami bird model with movable wings. |
| Flasher | A flexible model that expands or contracts in a twisting motion. |
| Flexagon | A folded model with hidden faces that can be flipped inside out. |
| Foil | Paper backed with a layer of metallic foil. |
| Fold | To bend a sheet of paper so two parts come into contact. |
| Fold line | A visual cue in diagrams that indicates where a crease should be made. |
| Folded edge | Where a paper’s edges meet and overlap due to folding. |
| Folding geometry | The mathematical structure and angles behind an origami model. |
| Folding Australia | An Australian organization dedicated to the practice and promotion of origami. |
| Folding level | A classification system to indicate the difficulty of a model, from simple to super-complex. |
| Frog base | A complex base created by petal folding the flaps of a waterbomb base. |
| Fudge Factor | A small margin intentionally left when folding to accommodate paper thickness. |
| Golden Venture | A modular folding style using small triangular units fitted together. |
| Grain of paper | The direction in which paper naturally flexes more easily, based on its manufacturing process. |
| Inverted | A point or flap that has been turned inside out. |
| IOS | International Origami Society, founded by Akira Yoshizawa in Japan. |
| Iso-area folding | A folding method that reveals equal areas of both sides of the paper. |
| JOAS | Japanese Origami Academic Society, often called the Tanteidan or ‘detectives’. |
| Joss paper | Paper traditionally burned at Chinese funerals, often folded into symbolic items. |
| Judgement fold | A fold made without exact reference points; the location is estimated by eye. |
| Kasane origami | A Japanese term for decorative layered folding. |
| Kami paper | Standard, high-quality origami paper, often colored on one side. |
| Kan-no-mado | A historic Japanese book detailing how to fold 1,000 cranes from one sheet. |
| Knotologie | A method using long strips to fold knotted structures, developed by Heinz Strobl. |
| Kirigami | The Japanese art of paper cutting, typically applied to folded paper. |
| Kirikomi origami | A style that uses deliberate cuts in paper to expand folding possibilities. |
| Kite Fold | A fold where two adjacent edges are brought to meet a diagonal line. |
| Kusudama | A Japanese term for decorative paper spheres made of modular flower units. |
| Landmark | A visual or structural target on the paper, such as a corner or crease intersection, used to guide folds. |
| Location points | Specific positions on the paper that serve as references for accurate folding. |
| Manoeuvre | A sequence of folds that together achieve a particular result, like creating a rabbit ear. |
| MFPP | Mouvement Français des Plieurs de Papier – the French origami society. |
| Mini-meeting | A small informal gathering of origami enthusiasts. |
| Minimalist origami | A design style that captures the essence of a subject using very few folds. |
| Minor Miracle | An American term for a clever procedure that simplifies complex flap movement. |
| Miura-ori map | A special type of map fold developed by Dr. Miura that allows efficient unfolding. |
| Model | The final folded origami creation, though some prefer the term ‘design’. |
| Modular origami | Origami where multiple identical units are joined to form complex structures. |
| Module | A single unit or part of a modular origami creation. |
| Money folding | The art of using banknotes to fold figures or shapes. |
| Mountain fold | A fold that creates a raised crease, with the paper bending away from you. |
| Movement arrow | A diagram symbol showing the direction a flap or layer should move. |
| Multi piece origami | Using more than one sheet of paper to construct a model. |
| NOA | Nippon Origami Association – a Japanese origami organization. |
| Noshi | Decorative folded paper traditionally attached to gifts in Japan. |
| OD | Origami Deutschland – the German origami society. |
| One crease origami | An experimental approach exploring what can be done with just a single fold. |
| Origami | The Japanese art of paper folding. |
| OSN | Origami Societeit Nederland – the Dutch origami organization. |
| OUSA | Origami USA – a major American origami society. |
| Painting with paper | A technique using contrasting paper sides to create stylized visual scenes. |
| Pajarita | A traditional Spanish origami figure resembling a small bird. |
| Paper plane | A folded paper aircraft, often designed for flight. |
| PCOC | Pacific Coast Origami Conference – one of two large U.S. origami gatherings. |
| Petal fold | A technique where a point is raised and narrowed by folding the sides inward. |
| Poppadom | A playful term for origami fans who fold while dining, especially on Indian cuisine. |
| Precreasing | Folding then unfolding to create guiding creases for later steps. |
| Preliminary base | A foundational base formed from intersecting valley and diagonal folds. |
| Pure origami | A style where no cuts, glue, or decorations are used. |
| Pureland origami | A system restricting folds to only valleys and mountains. |
| RAT | An informal fold placed by eye, abbreviation for ‘Right About There’. |
| Raw edge | An original outer edge of the paper, often left exposed. |
| Rabbit’s ear | A fold creating a triangular flap by combining edges to a central line. |
| Reference Finder | A computer tool by Robert Lang to find fold sequences matching target coordinates. |
| Reverse fold | Folding a flap inside or outside along existing creases. |
| Silver rectangle | A term describing A4 paper, coined by John Cunliffe. |
| Sink | Pushing part of a model inward along four crease lines. |
| Skeletal polyhedra | Modular structures where paper forms the edges, leaving hollow faces. |
| Soft crease | A fold made gently to avoid forming a sharp or permanent crease. |
| Sonobe Unit | A foundational modular unit by Mitsunobu Sonobe, featuring flaps and pockets for geometric constructions. |
| Squash | A technique where a flap is spread open and flattened, often symmetrically. |
| Stellated | Describes a model with pointed, star-like extensions. |
| Stretched bird base | Created by pulling the wing tips of a bird base to extend the model. |
| Surface | Either side of a sheet of paper used in folding. |
| Swivel fold | A fold where the paper pivots in multiple directions to form a new structure. |
| Tanteidan | Japanese for ‘detectives’, the society focused on advanced origami design. |
| Tension | When folds are held in position by the natural resistance of the paper. |
| Tessellation | A repeating pattern formed by twisting and collapsing paper. |
| Tissue Foil Tissue | Laminated foil paper made by bonding tissue to both sides of a metal foil layer. |
| Treemaker | Software by Robert Lang that generates crease patterns from a stick-figure layout. |
| Twist folding | Using pleats to collapse paper into spiral or twisted forms. |
| Unit origami | Modular origami composed of interlocking units. |
| Valley fold | A fold made by bringing paper toward the folder to form a V-shaped crease. |
| Washi | Traditional Japanese handmade paper, often including natural fibers. |
| Waterbomb | An inflatable model that forms a box-like shape, traditionally filled with water. |
| Waterbomb base | A base structure created with intersecting folds resembling the Union Jack. |
| Wet-folding | A method where dampened paper is used to create sculptural, lasting folds. |
| Windmill fold | A fold pattern that forms a pinwheel or windmill-like shape. |
| X-ray view | Diagram showing hidden creases as dotted lines for instructional clarity. |
| Yakko-san | A classic Japanese model representing a figure in traditional attire. |
| Yunitto origami | The Japanese term for modular unit origami. |
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