If you have ever folded a little origami box with a lid, you have already met the blintz base — you just might not have known its name. It is the quiet workhorse behind the classic masu box and a surprising number of other models, and learning it feels a bit like discovering a secret handshake shared by paper folders everywhere. At a glance it looks almost too simple: just bring the four corners into the middle. But that single idea unlocks a whole family of boxes, cushions, and decorative shapes. Grab any square sheet and let us fold it together, step by step.

Learn how to fold an origami blintz base. This simple origami base folding technique is the beginning of many origami boxes and other models.

If you have folded an origami blintz box (origami masu box) then you’ve already folded this origami base.

STEP 1. This is the front of the paper, our blintz base will be this colour.

STEP 2. Fold the bottom edge up to the top edge.

STEP 3. Unfold the previous step.

STEP 4. Fold the right edge over to the left edge.

STEP 5. Unfold the previous step.

STEP 6. Flip the paper over to the other side.

STEP 7. Fold one of the corners to the middle.

STEP 8. Fold the rest of the corners to the center.