Origami Shark: Step-by-Step Folding Instructions

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Make some Jaws-ome pals out of any sticky note or small paper

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1 Start with a square piece of paper in any color.

2 Place the paper face down and crease it vertically.

3 Fold the paper up horizontally.

4 Fold the left edge down to the bottom, then unfold.

5 Fold the bottom edge up slightly, then unfold everything.

6 Fold both of the left edges to the horizontal creases.

7 Fold both of the right edges to the horizontal creases.

8 Lift the 4 top and bottom edges to create 2 flaps.

9 Press the flaps to the right, then fold in the outer corners.

10 Flip the paper, fold in the right side, and unfold its tip.

11 Fold in the top layer’s bottom edge, then unfold.

12 Use the creases to lift and tent the triangle’s point.

13 Fold the paper backward horizontally and flatten.

14 Fold both bottom corners along the horizontal crease.

15 Fold down the fin’s left edge, then fold the entire fin over.

16 Fold down the head, unfold it, then repeat on the other side.

17 Open the paper slightly and fold in the creases you made.

18 Rotate and open the paper, then fold in the left corners.

19 Fold the paper in half horizontally.

20 Expand the tail fin, then make 2 mountain and 1 valley creases.

21 Fold up both sides of the tail fin, crease, and unfold.

22 Mountain fold this new crease, then fold it to the left and flatten.

23 Fold the rightmost tail fins to the bottom left, then right.

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Co-authored by Coco Sato and Sophie Burkholder, BA

Last Updated: August 10, 2026 Fact Checked

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You might avoid sharks in the ocean, but the same can’t be said for a cute little origami shark! To make your own shark out of paper, all you need is a square piece of any type of paper. Once you have that, we’ll guide you through a clear, simple set of steps (with pictures!) to create your origami King of the Sea.

Making a Shark Out of Paper: Visual Steps

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• Difficulty: Intermediate.
• Time: 15 – 30 minutes.
• Materials: A square piece of paper, i.e, 7.5 cm (3 in) x 7.5 cm (3 in).

Steps

1

Start with a square piece of paper in any color.

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1. 
   Grab a square piece of paper of any size, as long as it’s larger than 7.5 cm (3 in) x 7.5 cm (3 in), or about the size of a sticky note. If you go any smaller, the paper might be too fiddly or difficult to fold. You can use a special origami paper, but you don’t need to.

   • Origamist and contemporary artist Coco Sato says you can use “printer paper, copy paper, or really any paper available. Just grab what you have!”
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2

Place the paper face down and crease it vertically.

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1. 
   Set the paper on a flat surface so that your desired display side is face down. Orient the paper so that it looks like a diamond, rather than a square. Then, fold the paper in half vertically to create a crease, then unfold the paper.

3

Fold the paper up horizontally.

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1. 
   The paper should now be unfolded with a vertical crease down the center. Lift the bottom point of the paper to meet the top, folding the paper in half horizontally.
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4

Fold the left edge down to the bottom, then unfold.

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1. 
   Take the left edge of the top layer of paper, then fold it down to align with the bottom edge. Create a crease, then undo the fold you just made.

5

Fold the bottom edge up slightly, then unfold everything.

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1. 
   Take the bottom edge of your triangle and fold it upwards, or about 2 centimetres (0.79 in) if you’re using a Post-It-sized piece of paper. Then, unfold the paper entirely so that you’re back to the original square.
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6

Fold both of the left edges to the horizontal creases.

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1. 
   Take the top point of your square, then fold down and to the right to align the leftmost top edge with the top horizontal crease that you made in the previous step. Do the same with the bottom point of the square, aligning the leftmost bottom edge with the bottom horizontal crease. Create creases, then undo these folds.

7

Fold both of the right edges to the horizontal creases.

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1. 
   Take the top point of your square, then fold it down and to the left to align the rightmost top edge with the top horizontal crease that you made in the previous step. Repeat with the bottom point of the square, bringing the rightmost bottom edge to the bottom horizontal crease. Create creases, then undo these folds.
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8

Lift the 4 top and bottom edges to create 2 flaps.

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1. 
   At this point, you should have an open square with several creases. Near the top and bottom points of your square, there should be two small creases that create a flattened gemstone shape. Lift the four edges around these creases to form a small flap on the top and bottom sides.

9

Press the flaps to the right, then fold in the outer corners.

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1. 
   Press the two flaps to the right and flatten them. Then fold in the left and right corners, which should look like two small triangles.
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10

Flip the paper, fold in the right side, and unfold its tip.

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1. 
   Turn over the paper so you’re now looking at the display side. Then, take the right edge of the shape and fold it to the left so that it covers about 60% of the shape. This will reveal a small folded triangle at the tip of the area you just folded. Unfold that triangle.

11

Fold in the top layer’s bottom edge, then unfold.

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1. 
   Look at the triangle that you’ve just unfolded. Grasp its bottom edge, then fold it up about 1 centimetre (0.39 in). Make a defined crease, then unfold it.

   • Repeat this step with the top side of the unfolded triangle.
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12

Use the creases to lift and tent the triangle’s point.

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1. 
   Along the existing creases, lift the top and bottom edges of the top layer of your paper. Pinch the tip of the triangle together to make a small, sharpened flap or tent.

13

Fold the paper backward horizontally and flatten.

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1. 
   Fold the paper in half horizontally, and push the folded pieces toward the back. Then, flatten the fold and turn the paper so that you’re viewing it from the side.
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14

Fold both bottom corners along the horizontal crease.

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1. 
   Take the bottom corner of the top layer and fold it up to align with the horizontal crease. Then, flip the paper over from left to right and repeat the step on this new side. In other words, fold the bottom corner of the top layer on this side along the horizontal crease.

   • From now on, the folded triangle on the left side of your paper will be referred to as the fin.

15

Fold down the fin’s left edge, then fold the entire fin over.

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1. 
   Fold the left edge of the fin toward the right so that it creates a tall isosceles triangle. Then, fold the whole fin over to the right side.

   • Turn the paper over and repeat this step on the other side.
     • In other words, flip the paper from left to right, fold the right edge of the fin on this side to the left, then fold the entire fin to the left.
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16

Fold down the head, unfold it, then repeat on the other side.

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1. 
   There should be a triangular shape poking up from the top-right side of your paper. This is the head. Fold down the top corner of the top layer of the head. Leave a crease, then unfold this section.

   • Turn the paper over (from left to right) and repeat this step on the other side.

17

Open the paper slightly and fold in the creases you made.

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1. 
   Rotate the paper 90º from front to back, then slightly expand or open up the paper. Take the two creases you made in the previous step, then fold them in toward the center (this is called a “valley fold”).
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18

Rotate and open the paper, then fold in the left corners.

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1. 
   Rotate the paper 90 degrees from front to back, then let it slightly expand or open. Then, tape the top and bottom left corners and fold them diagonally toward the center line.

19

Fold the paper in half horizontally.

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1. 
   Fold the paper in half horizontally, from top to bottom. At this point, you should be looking at the rectangular body of a shark with its head on the left, as well as a top and bottom fin.
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20

Expand the tail fin, then make 2 mountain and 1 valley creases.

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1. 
   Rotate the paper 90º from back to front, then open the tail fin slightly. Fold the sides of the tail fin out to create a mountain crease. Then, push the horizontal crease within the fin down to create a valley fold. Flatten the fold, rotate the paper 90º, and lay it flat.

   • Turn the paper 90º from front to back and repeat this step from start to finish.

21

Fold up both sides of the tail fin, crease, and unfold.

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1. 
   Looking at the shark from its left side, lift up both sides of the tail fin and fold them toward the body. Crease these folds well, then unfold them.
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22

Mountain fold this new crease, then fold it to the left and flatten.

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1. 
   Take both of the creases you made in the previous step, and pinch each one together to create a mountain fold. Then, fold each mountain fold to the left, toward the body of the shark. Flatten the folds completely.

23

Fold the rightmost tail fins to the bottom left, then right.

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1. 
   Take the rightmost section of the tail fins and fold them toward the bottom left side, then fold them again toward the right side. Sato says to pay attention to these small, simple folds because they will make your origami look like a shark.

   • Repeat this step, in reverse, by folding the left layer of the tail fin to the right side.
   • You now have a completed origami shark!
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Tips

• Once you’ve mastered the shark, you can make more origami animals, like a fish, dragon, turtle, or whale!
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