折り紙

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 折り紙 refers both to paper folding and to the paper used for it.
• Basic usage: It appears in scenes of making birds from colored paper or folding paper while waiting.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Activity and material
  • 折り紙をする refers to the activity of folding paper. In 折り紙で作る, the word refers to paper as the material used to make something.
• Reading in the compound
  • 紙 on its own is かみ, but in 折り紙 it becomes がみ, producing おりがみ.