Chart of six furoshiki wrapping methods drawn step by step

Furoshiki: How to Wrap a Gift in Cloth, Six Ways

A furoshiki is a square Japanese wrapping cloth. With a few folds and a square knot, one cloth wraps a gift box, a bottle of wine, two books or a melon, and turns into a bag afterwards. Below are six wraps, each drawn step by step, and a free printable chart with all six on one A4 page.

What furoshiki means

The word means bath spread. In the Edo period people carried their clothes to the public bath in a cloth, then knelt on it to dress, and the name stuck. Wrapping cloths are much older than that. Japan's Shosoin treasure house in Nara keeps cloths from the eighth century that were used to wrap court objects. Plastic bags pushed furoshiki out of daily life in the twentieth century, and in 2006 Japan's Ministry of the Environment brought them back with a campaign and a furoshiki wrapping chart of its own.

Pick the right size

The rule of thumb: the cloth's diagonal should be about three times the longest side of what you wrap. In practice three sizes cover almost everything.

  • About 45 cm. Small gifts, a lunch box, jewellery boxes, a mask.
  • About 70 cm. The most useful size. A shoebox, a bottle of wine, a folded shirt.
  • About 90 to 105 cm. Two books, two bottles, a folded jacket, or a bag for shopping.

Cotton is the easiest to learn on, because it holds a knot. Silk and crepe look beautiful on a formal present but slip, so pull the knot tight. Any thin square of fabric works, including a large scarf.

The knot that does all the work

Almost every wrap ends in a square knot, ma-musubi in Japanese. Cross the right corner over the left and tie, then the left over the right and tie again. Done right, the two ends point out to the sides, not up and down. The best part is how it comes undone: pull one end straight and the knot slides off in one move, so the person you give it to never fights with it.

Six ways to wrap

Otsukai tsutsumi: the everyday carry wrap, for boxes

Three step diagram of the otsukai tsutsumi furoshiki wrap, the everyday carry wrap, for boxes
  1. Lay the cloth as a diamond and set the box in the middle.
  2. Fold the bottom corner up over the box, then the top corner down over it.
  3. Bring the left and right corners up and tie a square knot on top.

Yotsu musubi: the four-tie wrap, for a gift box

Three step diagram of the yotsu musubi furoshiki wrap, the four-tie wrap, for a gift box
  1. Set the box in the middle of the diamond.
  2. Tie the top and bottom corners together over the box.
  3. Bring the left and right corners up and tie a second knot over the first. The four ears make it look finished, which is why it is the go-to gift wrap.

Hira tsutsumi: the flat wrap, formal, no knot

Three step diagram of the hira tsutsumi furoshiki wrap, the flat wrap, formal, no knot
  1. Set the box a little below the middle.
  2. Fold the bottom corner over the box, then the left and right sides.
  3. Bring the top corner down and tuck the point under. There is no knot, so it suits formal gifts and anything you hand over in person.

Bin tsutsumi: the bottle wrap, with a handle

Three step diagram of the bin tsutsumi furoshiki wrap, the bottle wrap, with a handle
  1. Stand the bottle in the middle.
  2. Bring the top and bottom corners up and tie them in a square knot above the cap.
  3. Wrap the left and right corners around the bottle, cross them at the back and tie them at the front. Carry it by the top knot.

Hon tsutsumi: the two-book wrap

Three step diagram of the hon tsutsumi furoshiki wrap, the two-book wrap
  1. Lay two books side by side across the middle, a hand width apart.
  2. Fold the top and bottom corners over the books.
  3. Hold the cloth and stand the books up so they close together like covers, then tie the left and right corners on top.

Suika tsutsumi: the round wrap that becomes a bag

Three step diagram of the suika tsutsumi furoshiki wrap, the round wrap that becomes a bag
  1. Tie the top corner to the left corner in a square knot, and the bottom corner to the right.
  2. Set the round thing (a melon, a ball, a pot plant) in the middle and pass one knotted loop through the other.
  3. Lift it by the loop. Empty, the same knots make a simple bag.

Free printable chart

All six wraps fit on one landscape A4 page. Download the furoshiki chart and print it, pin it next to the wrapping table, or use it in a class or on your blog with a credit link to this page.

Why wrap a gift in cloth

The cloth is part of the present. It gets used again for the next gift, as a bag, a scarf or a table runner, while foil and glitter paper usually cannot go in the recycling. It is also faster than paper once you know two wraps, with no tape and no scissors.

If you are looking for something to wrap, our Japanese gifts collection is a good start. Amaji's Kitsune Mask, $14.90, fits a 45 cm cloth with room for a knot, and our guide to Japanese gifts for men has more ideas by budget. For the history in depth, Wikipedia's furoshiki article collects the sources.

Written by the Amaji team, November 12, 2026. How we write our guides.