How to Make Modular Origami

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Begin with a square piece of origami paper (you’ll need two in total).

   An origami menko is one of the quintessential modular origami pieces and is great for illustrating the principles of how modular origami works.
   
   Fold the first piece of paper into thirds like you would a letter going into an envelope:
   Beginning with the backside of the paper facing up on a flat surface, fold the top third of the paper down to create a horizontal fold.
   
   Crease well.
   
   Fold the resulting shape in half, creating a horizontal fold.
   
   Crease well.
2. 2

   Step 2: Fold the corners.

   Fold the right bottom corner up so the bottom tip meets the top of the paper, making a diagonal crease.
   
   Crease well.
   
   Fold the left top corner down to meet the bottom of the paper, making a diagonal crease.
   
   Crease well.
   
   You’ll have what will look like a square in the middle of the paper, flanked on each side by triangles (which will be facing opposite ways--one facing the front, one facing the back)., You should then have two identically folded pieces of paper.
   
   Now you can begin to join them together to form an origami menko. , Lay the first piece so it’s oriented horizontally with the triangle folds facing up towards you.
   
   Lay the second piece over the first, but oriented vertically with the triangle folds facing up towards you. , Grasp the right flap of the first piece and fold it vertically along the right edge of the second piece.
   
   Crease well.
   
   The tip of the flap of the first piece will touch the top left corner of the square in the center of the second piece. , Grasp the top flap of the second piece and fold it down horizontally along the top edge of the first piece.
   
   Crease well.
   
   The tip of the flap of the second piece will touch the bottom-left corner of the center square. , Grasp the right flap of the second piece and fold it inward on the vertical axis.
   
   The tip of the flap of the first piece should touch the bottom-right corner of the center square. , Note that rather than fold the final flap as you did the previous ones, you’ll be tucking and inserting it.
   
   The result should look like a folded square composed of four triangles.
3. 3

   Step 3: Repeat the previous steps with the second piece of paper.

4. 4

   Step 4: Place one piece over the other.

5. 5

   Step 5: Fold the right flap of the first piece over the second.

6. 6

   Step 6: Fold the top flap of the second piece down.

7. 7

   Step 7: Fold the left flap of the first piece inward.

8. 8

   Step 8: Tuck and insert the tip of the final flap into the pocket formed by the fold of the first flap.

Detailed Guide

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