How to Fold an Origami Dragon

Dragons have always felt magical to me. They appear in stories, paintings, and legends across the world, especially in China and Japan, and somehow they never lose their power to spark the imagination.

Maybe that’s why the idea of an origami dragon feels so natural, even though it never existed in the traditional repertoire. Plenty of cranes and frogs, but no dragon.

Modern creators have since filled that gap with incredible dragon designs, although many of them are famously difficult, like Satoshi Kamiya’s Ryujin 3.5.

So we reached out to Sébastien Limet, a wonderful French origami artist, with a simple question: could he design a dragon that feels majestic, looks beautiful on display, and stays accessible for folders with a little experience?

What he created is exactly that. A dragon with presence and personality, a bold horn, four grounded legs, two raised wings, and a long, sweeping tail. Everything you expect from a dragon, wrapped in a compact, sculpted body.

There are quite a few steps, but they are all approachable if you have a bit of practice. And the result is worth every fold.

And good news: this model was also designed to evolve, and its big brother, a more advanced origami dragon, will be released in January.

Origami Dragon Step-by-Step Instructions

• Difficulty: Easy – Beginner Level 5
• Folding time: 10-15 minutes

Step 1

Start with the white side of the paper facing up in a diamond position. Fold and unfold both diagonals. Then, turn the paper over.

Step 2

Fold the top corner down to meet the center point. Lightly pinch at the intersection of the centerline, then unfold.

Step 3

Make a pleat by folding the horizontal diagonal to meet the pinch mark from Step 2.

🐉 Folding Tip: Lightly crease through all layers first, then crease well under the top layer. This prevents unwanted marks on the top layer.

Step 4

Turn the model over.

Step 5

Fold the top left edge to the centerline, then unfold.

Step 6

Fold along the crease from Step 5, bringing the top section downward. Stop when you reach the pinch mark from Step 2, and firmly crease just the middle layer down to the horizontal line.

Step 7

Unfold Step 6.

Step 8

Repeat Steps 5 to 7 on the right side.

Step 9

Fold the bottom left edge to the centerline. Crease only from the center horizontal line to the bottom corner, then unfold. Repeat on the right side.

Step 10

Align the bottom left edge with the top left edge. Crease from the intersection of the folds made in Steps 5 and 9 to the left corner, then unfold. Repeat on the right side.

Step 11

Collapse the left side inward along the creases from Steps 5, 9, and 10.

Step 12

Repeat Step 11 on the right side. This forms the dragon’s wings.

🐉 Note: The wings might not lie flat against the body. That’s okay! Don’t try to force them down.

Step 13

Turn the model over.

Step 14

Fold the top corner down to meet the nearest horizontal crease.

Step 15

Fold the flap created in Step 14 in half.

Step 16

Turn the model over.

Step 17

Collapse the top section of the model using the creases from Steps 6 and 8 as guides, leaving the flap raised.

Step 18

Fold the right side of the model backward along the central crease.

Step 19

Rotate the model 90° counterclockwise.

Step 20

Slightly open the lower layers and reverse fold the flap under the neck along the dotted lines.

🐉 Folding Tip: Push the flap down with your index finger until it aligns with the wing edges. Then, flatten by closing the wing flaps.

Step 21

Push the flap from Step 20 upward and fold along the dotted lines so its outer edge aligns with the top edges.

Step 22

Fold the wing from right to left. Repeat on the other side.

Step 23

Fold the dragon’s tail down along the dotted line, creasing from where the wings and tail intersect to the bottom edge at a 90° angle. Crease well and unfold.

Step 24

Open the tail’s layers at the bottom. Using the creases made in Step 23, Crimp fold the tail over the wing on both sides. The two reference points should meet. Then, rotate 25° counterclockwise.

Step 25

Fold the wing from left to right. Repeat on the back side.

Step 26

Fold and unfold the wing down along the dotted line.

Step 27

Fold and unfold the top edge of the wing to meet the crease from Step 26.

Step 28

Fold and unfold the top edge of the wing to meet the crease from Step 27.

Step 29

Repeat Steps 26 to 28 on the other wing.

Step 30

Pull the dragon’s head up and fold along the dotted line.

Step 31

Pull the snout horn up and fold along the dotted line.

Step 32

Fold the right corner of the tail to the point where the tail and wing intersect at the bottom edge. Slightly unfold so the tail points forward.

🐉 Folding Tip: You can also curve the dragon’s tail.

🎉 Your origami dragon is ready to fly! 🐉

Well done on folding your paper dragon! I hope you had as much fun with it as I did.

Sébastien is already working on a more advanced version, and we’ll also be sharing the full tutorial in our newsletter in January.

If you don’t want to miss it, make sure to join our newsletter and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

And if you want to share your origami dragon with us, we’d love to see it! You can tag us and Mister Paperfold, on social media, or drop a comment below.

© 2025. Diagrams by Jimena Candia. Design by Sébastien Limet. All rights reserved. Both the design and diagrams are exclusively licensed to Origami.me.

Download the Full Origami Dragon Printable PDF
Instructions

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