How to Make a Paper Shuriken
Transform two square sheets of paper into a crisp, interlocking 4-point origami ninja star using precise folding and secure locking techniques.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Bone folder or plastic ruler
- ✓ Flat, smooth work table
- ✓ Precision craft scissors (if trimming standard paper)
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ 2 square sheets of origami paper (15x15 cm, contrasting colors recommended)
- ✓ Scrap paper for test folds
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Beware of sharp paper edges that can cause paper cuts during rapid creasing.
- • Never throw finished paper stars toward people's faces, eyes, or pets.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Fold Base Strips
Place both square sheets colored-side down on your work surface. Fold each sheet in half horizontally, crease firmly with your bone folder, and unfold. Fold the top and bottom edges inward to meet the center crease line, then fold the entire strip in half along the original crease to form two narrow, identical four-layer rectangular strips.
- • Two long, narrow rectangular strips of equal width and thickness
- • Clean, flat fold seams with no bubbling paper
- • Uneven center alignment leading to crooked strip edges
- • Creasing with soft finger pressure instead of firm burnishing
Establish Center Reference Creases
Fold each narrow strip in half end-to-end to create a perpendicular vertical crease right in the center. Unfold both strips so they lie flat horizontally side-by-side. These center marks serve as alignment boundaries for the critical mirror-image diagonal folds.
- • A sharp vertical crease directly dividing each horizontal strip in half
- • Failing to press the center crease firmly enough to keep it visible
Create Mirror-Image Diagonal Folds
For the left strip (Piece A), fold the left half downward at a 90-degree angle along the center crease, and fold the right half upward at a 90-degree angle. For the right strip (Piece B), perform the exact opposite: fold the left half upward and the right half downward. Verifying that the two pieces are mirror opposites at this stage is essential for the locking mechanism to work.
- • Piece A forms an inverted 'Z' or stepped shape
- • Piece B forms a standard 'S' shape that mirrors Piece A perfectly
- • Folding both strips in the exact same direction, which makes interlocking impossible
Fold the Triangular Flaps
Flip both folded pieces over so the smooth side faces up. On each end of both strips, fold the outer square corner inward diagonally to create a sharp triangle point, ensuring the diagonal aligns along the edge to form a balanced parallelogram. Repeat for all four ends, then fold the triangular tips inward toward the center to test their mobility.
- • Each piece resembles two connected triangular blades pointing in opposite directions
- • All four flap ends fold cleanly over the central diamond body
- • Folding triangular flaps outward instead of inward, creating blunt corners instead of points
Position and Interlock the Modules
Lay Piece A horizontally with its central seam facing up. Place Piece B vertically on top of Piece A with its smooth side facing up, forming a perpendicular cross. The back pocket slits of both units should now face outward away from the center interface.
- • An open 'X' or cross shape with two contrasting color layers centered against each other
- • Placing both smooth sides together, which covers the insertion pockets needed for locking
Tuck Flaps and Finalize the Shuriken
Fold the top and bottom triangular flaps of Piece A over the center and tuck their tips firmly into the diagonal pockets of Piece B. Flip the entire assembly over, then fold and tuck the remaining two triangular points of Piece B into the corresponding pockets on Piece A. Burnish all outer seams and corners flat with your bone folder for a solid, balanced finish.
- • A rigid, symmetrical 4-point star with all four tips securely nested inside internal pockets
- • No loose flaps or protruding raw edges
- • Forcing flaps into pockets without pre-creasing, resulting in bent or torn tips
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by JayFindsThings — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Bone folder? Back of a spoon, ruler edge, or thumbnail
- No Origami paper? Standard copy paper trimmed into a perfect square