If you decide you want to learn origami, you may be a little confused when researching or reading about this ancient craft. There are terms you may not understand and supplies you are not familiar with. You may just think all you need is a piece of paper, but it is much more than just paper.

Here are several terms you will find when learning the art of origami:

Origami – This is the first place to start. You may know that origami is the art of folding a piece of paper into various shapes and forms. It was created by the Chinese at first and then firmly adopted in the Japanese culture. The Japanese origami is what we are more familiar with in this day and age.

Washi – The is a type of special origami paper that experts use when making their creations. A traditional piece of washi paper is 6 inches on each side of the square piece of paper. This paper is used because of its ease of folding and comes in various other sizes for different designs.

Diagrams – This is what a picture of an origami creation is referred to. You will often see pictures in books or in publications that use the term diagram, such as the “crane diagram”. This is a detailed picture of all of the information needed to learn how to fold the design.

Wet Folding – This term came about from the dampening of the paper used to create a design. Some find this an easier way to fold the paper because it becomes easier to manipulate when moistened.

Models – This is in reference to the result of the origami fold. This is also commonly referred to as the “design”.

Base – This is a combination of origami folds that create the base to build off of.

Familiarizing your self with the terms will make learning the craft much easier in the long run.