What is the art of paper folding called?

The art of paper folding is called origami. The word comes from the Japanese terms ori, meaning “folding,” and kami, meaning “paper”; kami changes to gami through a normal Japanese sound change.

Although origami is strongly associated with Japan, paper-folding traditions also developed in China and Europe, and the practice’s single original birthplace is not certain. In Japan, folding paper had both ceremonial and recreational uses before modern origami became a widely recognized art form.

Traditional origami generally uses one sheet of paper without cutting, gluing, or drawing on it. Folding paper with cuts is more specifically associated with kirigami, while decoupage involves decorating surfaces with cut paper. Modern artists also use wet-folding, modular construction, and mathematical crease patterns to create highly detailed animals, insects, and geometric forms.

The modern international revival of origami was helped by Japanese artist Akira Yoshizawa, whose folding notation and designs made complex models easier to share. Origami is now practiced as a craft, an art form, and a subject in mathematics and engineering.