Origami (折り紙, origami) (derived from "ori" meaning "to fold", and "kami", meaning paper) is the ancient art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a given result using geometric folds and crease patterns prefarably without the use of gluing or cutting the paper medium. "Origami" refers to all types of paper folding, even those of non-Asian origin.
Origami only uses a small number of different folds, but they can be combined in a variety of ways to make intricate designs. In general, these designs begin with a square sheet of paper whose sides may be different colors. Contrary to most popular belief, traditional Japanese origami, which has been practiced since the Edo era (1603-1867), has often been less strict about these conventions, sometimes cutting the paper during the creation of the design.