The kite base is the easiest origami base to fold and earns its name from its strong resemblance to a flying kite!
It is a starting point for many creations, such as the origami swan, and can be further folded into the origami diamond base. Scroll down to the bottom of this guide for a list of origami ideas to make using the kite base.
To fold this base, you will need a single square sheet of paper—origami paper works best.
If you are using a multi-color sheet, you will want to begin the fold with the white side facing up and the colored side facing down.
Check out our origami bases guides to see the rest of the bases and how to fold them.
Step 1: Fold the paper in half diagonally
Begin by folding your sheet of paper in half diagonally, pulling the left corner over to the right corner.
Step 2: Crease well and then unfold the paper.
Apply a good crease to the paper and then unfold.
Step 3: Fold the right edge to the center crease
Next, fold the bottom right side of the paper over to the center crease. For a crisp fold, begin creasing at the small section first and work your way up.
Step 4: Fold the left edge to the center crease
Now fold the bottom left side of the paper over to the center crease.
Flatten everything down well and there you have it, the kite base!
The Kite Base: Continued Folding
The kite base doesn’t stop here! Here is a list of other awesome origami designs that can be created using this base!
You can click the images below to visit each step-by-step guide!
Origami Swan
The origami swan is one of the easiest origami birds and can be built off the kite base with a few additional steps. Check out our swan tutorial here!
The Diamond Base
With an additional two valley folds, you can turn the kite base into the diamond base. You can view our diamond base guide here.
Closing Thoughts
Origami bases are a fun and easy way to memorize all your favorite folds.
If you would like to learn how to fold more origami bases, check out our beginner’s guide to origami base folds. Or if you’re looking for some cool things to fold, check out our growing collection of origami designs here.
Happy folding!