origami

American  

[awr-i-gah-mee] / ˌɔr ɪˈgɑ mi /

noun

• origamis
  plural

1. the traditional Japanese art or technique of folding paper into a variety of decorative or representational forms, as of animals or flowers.

2. an object made by origami.

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origami British  

/ ˌɒrɪˈɡɑːmɪ /

noun

1. the art or process, originally Japanese, of paper folding

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• origamis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of origami

1920–25; < Japanese, equivalent to ori fold + -gami, combining form of kami paper

Explanation

Have you ever folded a square sheet of paper into the shape of a crane? That's origami, the art of paper folding. Some origami is incredibly complicated and takes a long time to learn, while even small children can easily create simpler origami designs. Every piece of finished origami, whether it's a dog or an umbrella or a box, begins with a sheet of paper and specific folding techniques. Origami comes from two Japanese words, ori, "fold," and kami, "paper."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

origami

One evening, Emily Kagan, a poet and healthcare executive who was one of the facilitators, passed around markers and colored sheets of origami paper.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Much like paper must be folded into the correct shape to create an origami sculpture, proteins inside cells must form precise three-dimensional structures before they can function properly.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026

However, the DNA origami vaccine showed advantages in stability and was easier to store and manufacture.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 17, 2026

"For me, it's an academic interest, it's my job," admits Mark Schenk, who says he has little interest in making paper origami models.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

Well, my journal was starting to look like some kind of weird origami factory, with page after page folded on different angles and edges sticking out all over the place.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick