膝枕

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 膝枕, read ひざまくら, means letting someone rest their head in one's lap as though it were a pillow.
• Basic usage: It is used when a sleepy child or a cat rests with their head in someone's lap.
  • 眠そうな子どもに母が膝枕をしてやった。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 膝 and lap
  • 膝 means knee, but the English expression for 膝枕 uses lap: the upper part of the thighs on which a head can rest while someone is seated.