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Fish base

The fish base is a traditional starting shape made by folding a rabbit ear at two opposite corners of a square, giving a diamond with two long points and two small flaps.

Crease one diagonal. Fold a kite base toward that crease at one end, unfold, and repeat at the opposite end so both ends are marked. Then collapse each end as a rabbit ear: the edges fold to the diagonal together and the small flap that rises is laid down to one side. The two small flaps are often used for fins, legs or wings, and the long points for a head and tail.

Crooked flaps come from inaccurate kite creases, so make those precise before collapsing. Let each rabbit ear form on its own rather than forcing it, and point both flaps the same way. The fish base is named after the traditional fish folded from it; it also underlies many simple birds. None of the models on this site currently use it.

How to fold a fish base, step by step

  1. 1

    Crease one diagonal of the square and place it as a diamond with that crease running vertically.

  2. 2

    Fold a kite toward the crease at the top end, crease firmly and unfold.

  3. 3

    Fold a kite toward the crease at the bottom end as well and unfold, so both ends are marked.

  4. 4

    Collapse the top end as a rabbit ear: fold both edges to the crease at the same time and lay the small flap that rises to one side.

  5. 5

    Collapse the bottom end the same way, laying its flap in the same direction.

  6. 6

    Flatten: you have a diamond with two long points and two small flaps.

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Common mistakes and how to fix them

  • The small flaps are crooked

    The kite creases were inaccurate. Make them precisely, starting from the point, before collapsing.

  • The flaps point in different directions

    Lay both rabbit-ear flaps the same way, as the diagram shows; they become a matching pair of fins or legs.

  • The paper wrinkles during the collapse

    Let each rabbit ear form on its own as the edges come in, rather than forcing the flap down.

When you’ll use it

The fish base is a good bridge between the simplest bases and the bird base. It introduces the rabbit ear, a collapse made along creases, while keeping the paper easy to see and handle. Besides the traditional fish, it is used for simple birds, whose two small flaps become wings or legs, and as a starting point for several animals in classic origami books. It is also good practice for symmetry: the two halves of a fish base should be mirror images, and any difference shows immediately in the finished model. If you can fold a neat kite base and a clean rabbit ear, you have everything you need.

Fish base: questions

Why is it called the fish base?+

It is the base of the traditional origami fish: the long points become the head and the tail, and the small flaps become the fins.

What should I learn before the fish base?+

The kite base and the rabbit ear. The fish base is two kite folds collapsed as two rabbit ears.

Related folds and bases