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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

Right beside the main entrance, a sculpture of an origami deer cast in concrete hangs suspended on thick straps from a crane.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

By applying principles from larger-scale robotics such as rigid, compliant and origami robots, scientists are adapting familiar mechanical concepts to the nanoscale.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

And yet the prospect of using origami to improve existing technologies is, for some, tantalizing.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

Takaichi made cookies and origami animals for the office staff, said Ramlow, who keeps two paper cranes Takaichi made and hangs them on a Christmas tree every year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

I make an origami frog for Richard and put it on top of his box.

From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead