How to Fold an Easy Origami Rabbit
Looking for a fun and creative way to enjoy spring and renewal? Let’s learn how to craft this cute origami rabbit, a symbol of cleverness, agility, and good fortune in Japanese culture.
The origami bunny isn’t just an interesting project for Easter. It also connects with Japanese folklore, especially during the Tsukimi (Moon Viewing festival), where the rabbit is said to live on the moon, making mochi.
While this model is great for crafters of all ages and skill levels, it has more challenging folds and is a good way to practice the squash fold and reverse folds.
Origami Rabbit Step-by-Step Instructions
- Difficulty: Easy – Beginner Level 3
- Folding time: 10 minutes
- Model designer: Akira Yoshizawa
- Recommended paper: Kami 15×15 cm. Here, we used a 15×15 cm chiyogami.
Step 1
Start with the white side of the paper facing up in a diamond shape. Fold the top corner down to meet the bottom corner, making a horizontal diagonal crease.
Step 2
Fold both top corners down to meet the bottom corner.
Step 3
Fold the bottom left and right edges in to meet the centerline.
Step 4
Open the top right flap and squash fold it down. Line up the diagonal edge with the centerline as you flatten it.
Step 5
Repeat Step 4 on the left side.
Step 6
Fold the model in half by bringing the right side behind the left.
Step 7
Rotate the model 30° counterclockwise.
Step 8
Flip the top flap at the bottom upward along the dotted line to form the first rabbit’s ear. Then, repeat on the other side.
Step 9
Fold the ear’s right edge inward to meet the point where the head and ear intersect. Then, repeat on the other side.
Step 10
Crimp fold the head over the ears by gently pushing down the top corner (the rabbit’s nose). Make sure the two reference points meet.
🐇 Folding tip: Don’t crease the fold all the way down to the rabbit’s legs. Keep it a little curved around the legs. That way, your rabbit will be able to stand up on its own!
Step 11
Make a small pleat fold to form the rabbit’s tail.
🐇 Folding Tip: Tweak the pleat to make the tail shorter or longer, and have fun adjusting the angle until it looks just right!
Step 12
Reverse fold the tip of the nose along the dotted line to shape the rabbit’s face.
Step 13
Gently open up the ears to give them a fuller shape.
Your Origami Bunny is Ready to Hop!
Congrats on folding your very own paper rabbit.
Whether you’ve folded one rabbit or a whole family of them for your Lunar New Year celebrations, used them as a fun table decoration, or just brought some positivity into your home, this origami rabbit will hop right into your heart.
Share your origami rabbits with us in the comments or on social media. We love to see how you bring these diagrams to life!
Download the Full Origami Rabbit Printable PDF Instructions
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Watch the Origami Rabbit Video Tutorial
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Transition from 15 to 16 is very unclear.
It’s an Inside Reverse Fold. The Beginner’s Guide has more information about this kind of fold here: https://origami.me/beginners-guide/
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