also: ほぐ · ほうご · ほうぐ · ほんご · ほんぐ
noun
wastepaper; scrap paper
Refers to paper that is no longer needed, such as used or discarded sheets. Often appears in the phrase 反故にする (to discard or nullify).
メモを反故にして捨てた。
I threw away the memo as wastepaper.
契約を反故にするわけにはいかない。
We cannot just nullify the contract.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 反故.
Obsolete kana reading; not used in modern Japanese.
Obsolete kana reading; historical spelling.
Obsolete kana reading; historical spelling.
Obsolete kana reading; historical spelling.
Obsolete kana reading; historical spelling.
紙くず is a more general term for wastepaper or paper scraps, while 反故 often implies paper that was once useful but is now discarded, and can be used metaphorically for nullifying agreements.
The kanji 反 (return, opposite) and 故 (old, past) combine to suggest something that has been turned back or made obsolete, fitting the meaning of wastepaper. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.