How to Fold a Traditional Origami Box With Lid
These instructions will show you how to make an origami box, also known as a masu box.
Masu boxes were originally square wooden boxes used to measure portions of rice during the feudal period in Japan. They came in various sizes, ranging from about 0.18 L to as big as 18 L.
This paper version is quite easy to fold and makes a perfect little box to hold small items like paper clips, candies, or whatever you want.
When you’re finished, the paper should lock together and hold its shape pretty well. If you find that a flip or two keeps sticking out at the bottom of the inside of the box, you can use a bit of tape or glue to hold them down.
If you fill the boxes with something, that’ll hold everything down nicely as well.
Are you ready to create an origami box? Let’s get started.
Traditional Origami Masu Box Step-by-Step Instructions
- Difficulty: Easy – Beginner Level 3
- Folding time: 10 minutes
- Model designer: Traditional
- Recommended paper: Chiyogami 15×15 cm (6×6 in)
Step 1
Start with a square sheet of paper with the white side facing up. Fold the paper in half horizontally. Crease it well and then unfold it.
Step 2
Fold the paper in half vertically. Crease it well and then unfold it.
Step 3
Fold the corner of the paper to the center. You’ll do this on each of the 4 corners.
Step 4
Fold the next corner to the center of the model.
Step 5
Fold the next corner to the center of the model.
Step 6
Fold the final corner to the center of the model.
Step 7
Rotate the model 45 degrees so it’s square again.
Step 8
Fold the top part of the model along the dotted line to the center.
Step 9
Fold the bottom part of the model along the dotted line to the center.
Step 10
Crease both these folds very well and then unfold them.
Step 11
These next 2 steps technically aren’t necessary, but they make 2 later steps slightly easier. Fold the left part of the model along the dotted line to the center.
Step 12
Fold the right part of the model along the dotted line to the center.
Step 13
Crease both these folds very well and then unfold them.
Step 14
Unfold the top and bottom triangles of the paper.
Step 15
Fold the right side of the model to the center along the dotted line. Part of this crease is already here, which will make it a bit easier.
Step 16
Fold the left side of the model to the center along the dotted line.
Step 17
Slowly pull the model open at the top, following the dotted lines. The creases here are already made.
Step 18
When you pull the model open, it should take a shape that looks like this. The creases are all already made, so everything should fall into place.
Step 19
Fold the flap of paper down along the dotted line that intersects the two triangles. This will form the edge of the box. Fold the top triangle of paper up a little bit to fit into place at the bottom of the box.
Step 20
Fold the other side of the box now along the existing creases as you did in steps 17 and 18. The paper should fall into place and give you a shape, just like in step 18.
Fold the top flap of paper down along the dotted line to form the edge of the box. Fold the top triangle of paper up a little bit to also fit into the bottom of the box, just like in step 19.
The Completed Traditional Origami Box
How to Create a Lid for Your Paper Box?
If you want to fold a lid for your box, you have a couple of options. First, you can simply use slightly larger paper and fold the lid exactly the same way you did the box itself.
This can be a bit difficult, especially if you’re using standard origami paper like Kami, where each piece you have is exactly the same size.
The other option you have is to fold the box again, but in steps 3, 4, 5, and 6, where you fold the corners of the paper, don’t fold them all the way to the center. This is what I did here.
This will result in a shape that looks like the image below at the end of step 6.
Then, continue to fold the model by following the steps above, just like you did before. Fold the paper to the center when it asks you for the following steps.
This will give you a slightly larger box that makes a perfect lid. The triangle flaps in the bottom of the box don’t stay in place as well as they do for the bottom, so feel free to use a tiny piece of tape or some glue to hold them there.
If you close the box by putting the lid over the bottom, it will hold its shape very nicely, even without tape or glue.
How did you do? Post a photo of your box in the comments because we’d love to see it!
If you need help or clarification with any of these steps, feel free to ask in the comments as well.
Download the Full Origami Box Printable PDF Instructions
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Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that we’ve added some helpful images and videos to make things easier for you (especially step 17). I hope this helps!
Help With 17!
Hi Sam! Check the gifs in steps 17 and 19. They show you how to fold one side of the box in two steps. The video in step 20 shows you how to do it for the other side. The folds are the same, and you already created the creases in the previous steps. We’ll also post a video in the coming weeks.
Oh, I looked really hard and realized it was super easy. I am making a bigger one because it’s too small
This is the best tutorial I have ever seen on the origami box. It has everything (diagram with photo of each step and succinct instruction) a beginner would need to learn how to make box. I can see you put a lot of work on creating this tutorial. I use it for my library program and ref to your website. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for your kind words! It truly means a lot to hear that the tutorial has been helpful.
I needed this for wrapping a Christmas present at school. And now, with your help, i have given tge gift. This is amazing!
WOW! this is soooooooooo cool! It can hold a lot of origami crafts!!! 😍love it! thanks for sharing the instructions!
My box with Two Traditional Origami Jumping Frogs!! I made it lager because 15×15 was too small (i forgot to add it 😑)
My Box with lid
This box is really good and I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
so cool just made it an it turned out great
I found step 17 really confusing, I eventually figured out that if you pinch above where the dotted line is then slowly pull it open then it will start to look like the next step, hold the pinch and complete the fold that starts to form to finish it
Hope this helps
I like this ORIGAMI
Thanks for your very clear instructions. 20+ years since I made these and now I share this joy with my children
This is SUPER EASY. YOU GUYS DID A GOOD JOB MAKING THIS. :-)*Im watching you when you are sleeping*(-:
I’m using most of these instructions and pictures to show Brownies how to make boxes. We’re making Peppermint creams to go inside them.
For the tricky stage (17+) I’m describing it as follows:
Push your index fingernails into the diagonal ‘valley’ creases near the top.
Slide your thumbs into the middle line and open each side up towards the ceiling.
With your middle fingers, grab the back of the paper and pull out your index fingers. Pinch in the sides between your thumbs and middle fingers.
With your index fingers, bring the top flap down over the top and fold into place.
Hope that helps others!
this is good thanks
Oh! I love this Orgami Box even though I didn’t do very good! 🙂
Awesome ????
I loved the project!! I still had trouble making it but I still made it.
Me too, but I didn’t give up.
ty 😀
This was fun! Thank you for helping all of us beginner origami strangers make a box!
Many years ago someone taught me how to make these boxes. I am a retired teacher. Each year my second graders would bring Christmas cards to class, after Christmas. Those cards would supply me with cards for the next year’s class. I already had a stash for the first year. I would select cards whose fronts had a design or picture that would show up on the top of the box when folded. I cut the cards fronts into the square needed for the box top. I cut the back of the card into a slightly smaller square for the box bottom. The students selected a card to make a cute little box that we would hang like an ornament on our class Christmas tree. They wrote a special greeting to their parents on a slip of paper and put the note inside. They slipped a loop of yarn into the box before closing it to make a hanger. They, of course, would take their box home just before Christmas break. I had the students practice making boxes with paper first since paper is easier to fold than the cardstock greeting cards. They learned to make their own squares by folding a sheet of paper diagonally and cutting off the excess. It made two triangle shapes. After cutting off the excess they folded the paper into opposite corners so the folds created intersecting lines, showing the exact center of the square needed to make the boxes. Hands-on Math in action! They loved making these boxes. Upon retiring, I offered a box making class at the local senior center. I discovered that tablets of scrapbook paper is already cut into squares and is quite decorative. For senior hands it was easy for them to fold the boxes using the scrapbook paper. Greeting cards made of cardstock require a little more finger muscle to fold a sharp exacting crease so practicing with paper helps with the basics before tackling the sturdier cardstock. I also showed them they could fold sturdier boxes using cereal boxes. I asked my students and the seniors what they would suggest putting into the boxes when used as gift boxes. They suggested: Love notes, engagement rings, money, jewelry, and candy. Other suggestions were for buttons, nuts and bolts, garden seeds, sewing notions, board game parts, small cosmetics, bulletin board tacks. These boxes are just so much fun to make, but even more fun to show others how to make them. It’s such a satisfying positive experience.
i wish i was your student ????
Janice, I don’t know if you’ll see this, but that suggestion to make these out of Christmas cards is BRILLIANT! Thanks!
It got confusing at step 17-18, but I figured it out and now I have a beautiful box