also: ふところがみ
noun
kaishi paper; pocket paper for kimono; tea ceremony paper
Traditional paper folded and tucked inside the front fold of a kimono, especially used in tea ceremony for wiping the rim of a tea bowl or for placing sweets.
茶会では、懐紙を懐に入れておく。
At a tea gathering, one keeps kaishi paper tucked inside the front of the kimono.
お菓子を懐紙にのせていただきます。
I receive the sweet placed on kaishi paper.
noun
tanka writing paper; poetry paper
Historically used as a portable paper for composing tanka poems; now mostly encountered in classical or literary contexts.
昔の歌人は、懐紙に和歌を書きつけた。
Poets of old would jot down tanka on kaishi paper.
Compound of 懐 (ふところ, 'bosom, inside the kimono') and 紙 (かみ, 'paper'), referring to paper kept inside the front fold of a kimono. The reading かいし is the on'yomi of the kanji, while ふところがみ is a kun'yomi reading.