How to Make an Origami Crab, Step-by-Step for Beginners

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Fold a cute crustacean during craft time—all you need is paper!

Co-authored by Coco Sato and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: August 18, 2026 Fact Checked

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Folding a Crab

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An origami crab is a straightforward and fun craft idea for kids and beginners. All you need is a square sheet of paper, a marker or some googly eyes, and of course, some handy instructions! Keep scrolling to see how to fold an origami crab step by step, with tips from wikiHow’s origami experts.

Easy Origami Crab Visual Instructions

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An illustration showing each step for folding an origami crab.

To fold an origami crab, start with a square sheet of origami paper and use your thumb or a bone folder to make crisp, sharp creases. When you’re done, decorate your crab with googly eyes or fold extra crabs for more fun!

Difficulty level: Easy/beginner
Total time: About 10 minutes
Supplies needed: 1 sheet of origami paper, bone folder (optional), marker or googly eyes (optional)

Section 1 of 2:

Folding an Origami Crab

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Start with a piece of square origami paper. Making a crab requires some small, precise folds, so using actual origami paper will help you make sharper creases since “it has a thinner consistency” than printer paper, explains origami expert Robert Homayoon.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Robert Homayoon
Origami Expert

Expert Interview} Choose any color or pattern you like! For a realistic touch, go with red or orange paper.
- No origami paper? No problem! Homayoon says that “you can always use printer paper. You just need a pair of scissors to trim the edge off and make the paper square.”^{[2]
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Meet the wikiHow Experts

Robert Homayoon is an origami expert known for his engaging YouTube videos and accessible instructions. He has been teaching origami on YouTube since 2009 and has over 676,000 subscribers.

Coco Sato is an origamist and contemporary artist specializing in origami and geometric sculptures. With a practice encompassing sculpture, performance, psychology, and geometry, she explores shifting perspectives through origami.
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Flip the paper white-side-up and make a diagonal fold. Turn the paper over so the white (back) side is facing up and rotate it so it looks like a diamond. Then, fold the top and bottom corners together to form a center crease that runs diagonally across the paper. Press the fold firmly with your finger or thumbnail to form a sharp, crisp line.
- Origamist and contemporary artist Coco Sato says, “Sometimes it helps to have tools to make the edges very crisp. A folding bone or any non-sharp edge tool can be useful.”^{[3]
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Make a new diagonal fold with the top and bottom corners that intersects your previous fold at a right angle. Your paper should look like it has a big “X” on it.
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Flip the paper over and fold it in half, then unfold. Now with the colored side facing up, fold the bottom right edge over the center to meet the top left edge, then press the crease (make sure the edges line up neatly before pressing!). Unfold the paper.
- Did you know? Crabs can walk forward, too—not just sideways. It’s easier to scuttle sideways because of the way their legs hinge to their bodies, but most crabs can move forward if they want to. Some species, like the Japanese spider crab, have long enough legs to walk forward easily!^{[4]
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Fold the paper in half again the other way, then unfold. Now, grab the bottom left edge and fold it over the center to meet the top right edge and fold. Press the crease and unfold.
- Your paper should now be separated into 8 triangles that meet at a point in the center of the paper.
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Pinch the creases that run corner-to-corner to raise them. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the diagonal folds upwards so they’re raised or arched. If you’re having trouble, use your other index finger to gently hold or press the side-to-side folds down so they’re depressed.
- The paper will look kind of like a 3D star when the diagonal creases are raised.
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Press the paper inward to collapse it into a folded triangle. Place your pointer fingers on opposite edges of the paper (where the depressed side-to-side creases are) and gently push the edges in toward the center. The creases will start to collapse and form a 2-layer triangle that can stand up on its own.
- Lay the triangle on its side and press it flat. It should have 2 layers, each with a left and right flap.
- The triangle forms the basic shape and outline of the crab’s body.
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Fold the top right flap over to the opposite side of the triangle. Grab the bottom-right corner of the triangle (top layer only) and fold it over the crease that runs down the middle of the triangle from the top corner (like you’re turning the page of a book). You’ll now have a triangle with 1 flap on the right and 3 flaps on the left.
- Did you know? Crabs are truly ancient creatures. Modern crabs evolved around 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. That makes them older than a T. Rex or Triceratops!^{[5]
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Grab the bottom-left corner of the triangle (top flap only) and fold it upward at an angle so that it sticks out from the edge of the triangle. Do not fold it all the way so that it lines up with the top corner of the triangle—you want it to be a separate point.
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Fold the entire top left flap over to the right. Take your top left flap (do not unfold the crease you just made) and fold it over the center crease, back to the right side of the triangle.
- The corner you folded upward in the last step should be poking out from between the layers of the triangle now. This will be one of your crab’s back legs!
- Sato notes that for this origami crab, there will be only two legs since it is difficult to generate multiple legs from a single piece of origami paper.^{[6]
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  Origamist and Contemporary Artist
  
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Fold the left top flap over the center crease. Now, there will only be 2 flaps on the left side of the triangle. Grab the top one only and fold it over the center crease to the right. There are now 3 flaps on the right and 1 flap on the left.
- Looking for more crab arts and crafts? Check out our tutorial on how to draw a crab!
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Bend the corner of the top right flap upward to line up with the first “leg.” This is the same process you did before on the left side. Grab the bottom-right corner of the triangle (top flap only) and bend it upward at an angle.
- Fold the corner so that it lays perfectly on top of the other leg—this will keep your crab’s hind legs symmetrical and help make future folds cleaner.
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Fold the top right flap back over to the left side. Now your crab is starting to take shape! You should have a base triangle layer with a smaller diamond shape on top and the crab’s hind legs poking out from between the layers.
- Did you know? Many types of crabs can regrow lost limbs and other tissue.^{[7]
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  Research source} Unfortunately, your origami crab can’t regenerate any ripped paper!
Flip your almost-crab over so the triangle base layer is on top (keep the long, bottom edge of the triangle facing you and the hind legs pointing away from you). Then, grab the bottom edge and fold it up a little bit (no more than about half an inch (1.3 cm) or so).
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Fold the left and right edges of the triangle down and in slightly. Now it’s time to fold your crab’s pincers! On each side of the triangle, fold the edge inward to create long, slender triangles (the front “legs”). As you fold, the flipped-up corners will turn over as well, forming a claw or pincer.
- Tip: Start the crease of your fold about where the hind legs start to stick out. Don’t fold all the way to the top point of the triangle.
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Fold the top corner of the triangle toward you, then flip the crab over. Now, on the other end of the crab, grab the top corner of the triangle and bend it inward toward you. Flatten your crease, about where your front leg fold started in the previous step.
- After you’ve folded in the point, flip your crab over to reveal the finished origami. You can end here, or continue on to the final step—adding some adorable eyes!
- Did you know? A group of crabs is called a “cast.”^{[8]
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  Research source} If you want to form a cast of your own, keep folding crabs to give your first creation some company.
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Draw 2 eyes with a marker or add googly eyes along the front edge of the crab. How you decorate your crab is up to you. For easy eyes, color in 2 circles with a black marker, or glue on some googly eyes for a wackier look.
- If you have paint on hand, you can also paint 2 white circles for eyes, wait for the paint to dry, then add black circles within the white. Leave a tiny spot of white in the middle to give your crab’s eyes some character.
- Did you know? Scientists believe crabs have a specific protein in their eyes that may let them actually see the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation.^{[9]
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