How to Fold an Origami Japanese Lantern

Hard level, 20 steps. From Fun with Paper Folding (Murray and Rigney), 1928. Public domain.

The animated version shows each fold moving, one step per screen. This page shows every step at once.

All 20 steps

Step 1. Start colored side up. Fold in half corner to corner behind, then unfold.
Step 2. Fold in half along the other diagonal behind, then unfold.
Step 3. Fold in half from left to right, then unfold.
Step 4. Fold in half from top to bottom, then unfold.
Step 5. Push the left and right sides in along the middle crease and flatten the paper into a triangle.
Step 6. Fold the right corner of the front layer up to the top point.
Step 7. Fold the left corner up to the top point.
Step 8. Turn the paper over.
Step 9. Fold the two corners of this side up to the top point too.
Step 10. And the other corner.
Step 11. Turn the paper over.
Step 12. On the right half, crease the line that lays the upper right edge along the center line, and the line that lays the lower right edge along the center line.
Step 13. Fold both right edges in along those creases at once. The right corner stands up; flatten it down.
Step 14. Crease the same two lines on the left half.
Step 15. Fold the left corner in the same way and flatten it.
Step 16. Turn the paper over.
Step 17. Crease the same lines on this side.
Step 18. Fold one corner in and flatten it.
Step 19. Crease the lines on the other half.
Step 20. Fold the last corner in and flatten it.
Done. Pull out the hidden points at the top. Blow hard into the small hole at the bottom and the lantern puffs up (Murray and Rigney, Fun with Paper Folding, 1928).