What it means
اوریگامی (origâmi) refers to the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes such as animals, flowers, and geometric forms, without cutting or gluing. The word is originally Japanese, formed from “ori” (folding) and “kami” (paper), and entered Persian through English as the hobby spread globally. In Persian, the word is used exactly as borrowed, and no native Persian equivalent has taken hold. Speakers sometimes say کاغذ تا کردن (kâghaz tâ kardan, folding paper) as a loose description, but اوریگامی is the standard term for the art form itself.
How to use it
- بچهها اوریگامی یاد میگیرن. (bacheh-hâ origâmi yâd mi-giran.) “The kids are learning origami.”
- یه قوی اوریگامی درست کردم. (ye qo-ye origâmi dorost kardam.) “I made an origami swan.”
- کلاس اوریگامی تو کتابخونه برگزار میشه. (kelâs-e origâmi tu ketâbkhune bargozâr mishe.) “An origami class is held at the library.”
- اوریگامی خیلی آرامشبخشه. (origâmi kheyli ârâmesh-bakhshe.) “Origami is very calming.”
Cultural note
Paper folding became widely known in Iran through school craft programs beginning in the 1990s and expanded further with internet tutorials in the 2000s. Today, origami workshops are held in libraries, cultural centers, and children’s museums in cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad. The hobby appeals to Iranians partly because patience and precision, qualities prized in traditional Persian crafts like carpet weaving and miniature painting, translate directly into paper folding.