{"title":"How to Make a Paper Ninja Star","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/paper-crafts/how-to-make-a-paper-ninja-star","category":{"slug":"paper-crafts","name":"Paper Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"Paper Kawaii - Origami Tutorials","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA7kuhQGNIO4X2dizncyiPQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxwxBqjBn0Q"},"tldr":"Fold a four-point origami ninja star from two squares of paper. Nine steps, no glue, and the two halves lock together on their own.","totalDurationSeconds":306,"difficulty":"easy","tools":["bone folder or the back of a spoon"],"materials":["2 squares of paper, 15 x 15 cm, ideally in two colors"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Step 1","text":"A shuriken needs two sheets, not one. Use squares of the same size - 15x15 cm works well and gives you a finished star around 8.5 cm across. Two different colors make the final star look sharper, because each half shows through on opposite sides."},{"number":2,"title":"Step 2","text":"Start white side up. Fold the paper in half and open it back out so you have a center crease. Bring the bottom edge up to that crease and press. Do the same from the top. You end up with a long band four layers deep."},{"number":3,"title":"Step 3","text":"Fold the top edge all the way down to meet the bottom edge. The band gets narrower and thicker. Keep the edges lined up - a strip that drifts out of square here makes the two halves refuse to lock together at the end."},{"number":4,"title":"Step 4","text":"Fold the bottom right point diagonally up to the left. Then fold the top left point diagonally down to the right. The strip now has an angled point sticking out at each end, which is what turns into the blades."},{"number":5,"title":"Step 5","text":"Fold the right section diagonally down to the left, then the left section diagonally up to the right. The piece bends into a Z or S shape. That is your first of two identical units - set it aside."},{"number":6,"title":"Step 6","text":"The second sheet gets folded exactly the same way except every diagonal runs the opposite direction. Where the first one folded bottom-right up, this one folds top-right down. Sit the two side by side when you finish and they should look like mirror images."},{"number":7,"title":"Step 7","text":"Flip one unit over onto its other side, then lay the second on top of it so the two Z shapes cross. Line up the center squares. This is the moment the star shape appears, though it is still loose and will fall apart if you let go."},{"number":8,"title":"Step 8","text":"Working on the unit at the back, fold the lower right point to the left and slide it under the flap of the unit in front. Do the same with the top left point. Flip the whole star over and repeat both tucks on the back. Each tuck is what locks the star together."},{"number":9,"title":"Step 9","text":"All four points should sit flat with no loose ends, and the star should hold together when you pick it up by one blade. If a point pops out, it was not pushed far enough under the flap - open it and push again."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-07-29T14:25:28.244Z","published":"2026-07-29T14:25:23.955Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit ShowMeStepByStep with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure."}