The Origami Forum

edit: see post a few down about coming up with a better way to classify folding maneuvers

Does anyone know of a more complete list of some less common origami manuvers?


In flat folding, here are the common ones: mountain, valley, reverse, rabbit ear, petal, crimp, unsink, opensink, closed sink, part open/part closed sink, twist fold.

Edit: I forgot about stretch folds, swivel folds, unwrap layer

double rabbit ear, spread sink, and mixed sink

I haven't heard of half of these. A brief description of each along with directions on how to execute would probably be more useful than just listing their common names. Sadly, the one's I'm familiar with I know on that intuitive level where you have difficulty explaining it to others without showing them(and diagrams are too visual for me to work with from either side).

Accordion fold - alternate mountain and valley folds

blow/inflate - to inflate by blowing into, such as the water bomb or frog

color change - a specific type of wrap or unwrap

Elias stretch - difficult w/on pictures, similar to a bird base stretch

open out - similar to a pull out flap

pull out flap - similar to freeing up paper that is tucked inside

inside/outside reverse - difficult w/o pictures, inside: makes the lower part smaller inside upper part
outside: wraps the lower paper outside of the upper part
tuck in - opposite of a pull in flap, pushing/folding the flap inside ... as indicated by diagram

Inside outside reverse is the same thing as a crimp, right? Or are you describing something different?

Not both. Each one separately, b/c an inside reverse fold has a very different function than an outside reverse fold .... just like a closed sink is different from an open sink.

Slightly obscure is the "closed reverse fold." I think I have a few pieces that utilize it. - Marc

What we really need is a better classification scheme/ontology for folding maneuvers. This is something we could collaborate on. Does anyone know if one already exists?

Let me try to get it started. I propose the following classification for flat foldable origami maneuvers:

1) A "simple folding maneuver" is one that can not be executed by a series of other simple folding maneuvers such that the paper is flat foldable in between each of those folding maneuvers. Example: an inside reverse fold is a "Simple folding maneuver".

2) A "compound folding maneuver" is a folding maneuver that be executed by a series of other simple folding maneuvers such that the paper is flat foldable in between each of those folding maneuvers. Example: a preliminary fold can be executed as two separate reverse folds and the model if flat foldable in between.

The rabbit ear also is a a complex folding maneuver, because it can be folded by first folding a valley fold (bisecting a corner of the triangle) into a flat folded form. Then a swivel fold can be performed, resulting in the rabbit ear.