How to Make an Origami Giraffe

Co-authored by Robert Homayoon and Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: January 3, 2024 References

VIDEO

Origami giraffes are a fun gift for friends and family, or you can use them as a fun decoration. This particular pattern can be tricky, as it involves a lot of intricate folds and creases. Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a few tries to make this—after all, practice makes perfect!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating the Initial Folds

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1
Color in brown spots on some yellow origami paper to design the pattern. Take a brown marker and sketch out different shapes all over the colored side of your origami paper. Color in all the spots to create a realistic pattern for your origami giraffe.^{[1]
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- Ideally, use origami paper that’s about 10 by 10 cm (3.9 by 3.9 in). However, any square-shaped piece of paper will work.^{[2]
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2
Fold and unfold the paper in half twice to make 2 creases. Lay the square piece of paper on your workspace, then fold the right and left edges together. Crease along the folded edge of the paper and unfold it again. To make the paper easier to work with, fold the paper from top to bottom to create another crease in your paper.^{[3]
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- At this point, you’ll have 2 creases forming a “plus” sign on your origami paper.
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3
Rotate the same sheet of paper so it looks like a diamond. Place your folded paper with the pattern side facing up. Turn the paper 45-degrees so it looks like a diamond, with the pointed corner facing upwards.^{[4]
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- An origami giraffe requires a lot of folds, so you’ll need to adjust your paper a lot to make all the folds you need.
4
Fold and unfold the paper in half twice to make 2 more creases. Crease the paper so the top and bottom corners are touching each other. Press and slide your finger along the line to create a definitive crease along your paper. Unfold the paper and then fold it half again, allowing the left and right corners to meet. Crease this edge and unfold the paper again so the colored side is facing up.^{[5]
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- At this point, your paper should have a total of 4 creases.
5
Pinch and press the paper into a small square. Push the center of the paper up with your finger so all the creases slope away at a downward angle. Fold the paper in half slightly, leaving the bottom of the paper open. Pinch both sides of the folded paper and push them towards the center. At this point, flatten the paper into a folded square.^{[6]
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- The colored, patterned side of the paper will still be facing outwards.
6
Fold the side corners of paper into the center. Take the left corner on top of the folded square and fold the bottom left section of paper into the center, vertical crease. Repeat this process with the right corner of the square. Crease along the edges of these folds so the paper holds its shape.^{[7]
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- You’re only folding the top layer of paper, not the entire square.
- At this point, an unfolded triangle will be visible along the top of the square.
7
Flip the square over and repeat this folding process. Turn your square over so the section you just folded is face-down. Do the same folding pattern that you did before, bringing the bottom right and left corners along the center the center crease. Press along the side creases to hold these folds in place.^{[8]
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- At this point, both sides of the square will be folded. There will also be an unfolded triangle along the top of the back square.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Forming the Basic Giraffe Shape

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1
Fold the top triangular section of the paper downwards. Take the entire upper triangle and fold it down over the back side of the square. This will form a smaller triangle with the folded origami paper.^{[9]
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- You’ll be folding all the paper layers over instead of just 1.
2
Flip the paper over and lift up the folded section. Hold your paper triangle with the recently folded triangle facing down. Open the 2 folds on the front of the triangle, then lift the unfolded paper upwards. This will form a large diamond shape within your origami paper.^{[10]
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- This part can be a little tricky to get down at first. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t nail it right away!
3
Press the paper into a kite shape. Refold the bottom sections of paper into a triangle shape along the bottom half of your origami paper. Make the top section of the diamond a mirror image of the bottom by folding 2 smaller triangles into the center of the paper.^{[11]
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- At this point, your paper will look like a kite, with 4 equal triangles of paper folded towards the center.
4
Do the same flip, fold, and press on the other side. Flip your paper over and lift up the small triangle that you just folded over. Unfold the larger triangles along the bottom half of the diamond, then unfold the paper into a larger diamond as you did before. Press the bottom half of the diamond into 2 identical triangles, and repeat the same folds with the top, unfolded section of paper. When you’re done, both sides of the origami will look identical.^{[12]
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- This section will also look like a kite.
5
Hold the paper structure upright and fold it in half. Pinch the top half of each diamond on both sides of your origami paper. Tug on both sections to expand the paper, creating a larger structure. Pull and stretch out the folded origami until the top, colored section of paper is completely flat. Fold the upright paper vertically so 4 even points of paper stick out in each direction.^{[13]
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- You’ll be folding the paper backwards instead of forwards as you do this.
6
Fold the 2 side points upward to create a paper hat shape. Pinch along both sides of the front and back points of your origami paper. Check that the triangles match each other and create an even fold. Always crease along the bottom edge of your fold so the paper holds its shape.^{[14]
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- At this point, your origami giraffe will kind of resemble a paper hat.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Fine-tuning the Features

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1
Flip the paper and push the left section of paper upwards. Shift your folded origami paper so the folded points are now facing downwards. Hold the central part of the paper with 1 hand, then use your opposite to push the left point upwards. When pushed forward, the paper will become a regular folded triangle, similar to a kite shape.^{[15]
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- This will serve as the neck and head of your giraffe.
Press along the left and right sections of the neck, creasing them in place so they fold around the giraffe’s body.
3
Crease the back section of paper downwards to form the back legs. Create an initial fold for the back legs before you actually fold them into place. Take the right, folded point of paper and fold it downwards, creating a basic leg shape. Press along the edge of the fold to form an exact crease.^{[16]
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- This isn’t the permanent position of the back legs—the crease will just help you assemble the giraffe.
- The point of the front and back legs need to be the same length. If your back leg is too long or too short, you may need to refold.
4
Unfold the back legs and crease them into place. Lift the folded paper so it’s back in a straight line, then turn the paper inside out. Fold and crease 1 triangle along the left side of the giraffe, and the other triangle along the right side of the giraffe. Check that both of these triangles are mirror images of 1 another.^{[17]
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- The back legs should still be in line with the front legs.
Take a small, 1 cm (0.39 in) section or so from the top, upper point of the giraffe’s neck and fold it forwards. Crease along the fold so you have a distinct idea of where the giraffe’s head will go. As you did with the back legs, unfold the section of paper making up the head and crease 1 triangle along the left and right sides of the giraffe’s neck.^{[18]
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Unfold the giraffe’s neck slightly, which should resemble a large, folded triangle. Fold and crease in the tipped edge of the neck, giving the giraffe’s neck a straight edge and rectangular shape. Repeat this on the other side so the giraffe’s neck looks straight and sleek.^{[19]
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Repeat this folding and creasing section along the giraffe’s back. Open up the folds on top of the giraffe's back and fold a small, triangular section of paper inwards on each side. Crease along the edges so the giraffe’s back looks straight instead of humped.^{[20]
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- You can display your giraffe by balancing it on its paper legs.

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Question

Why doesn't it look like a giraffe?

Janice Tieperman

Community Answer

An origami giraffe can be difficult to fold, and may not look exactly like a giraffe at first. As you practice more, your folds will be more exact, which will make the resemblance even more accurate.

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Why does the giraffe have a short neck when they are known for the tremendous length of that part of their bodies?

Janice Tieperman

Community Answer

An origami giraffe isn’t identical to the anatomy of a real giraffe, but it has similar features overall. For reference, the neck for an origami giraffe is much longer than the neck of a paper crane or paper rhino.

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Doesn't a giraffe have a long neck instead of long legs?

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Giraffes have both long legs and long necks.

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Tips

An origami giraffe is a lot more difficult to make than some other origami shapes. If you’re new to origami folding, you may want to start with a simpler animal, like a crane.

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