A bolster (etymology: Midle English, derived from Old English, and before that the Germanic word bulgstraz) is a long narrow pillow or cushion filled with cotton, down, or fibre. In western countries, it is usually placed at the head of bed and functions as head or back support. In southeast Asian countries, in particular Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, the bolster is designed to be hugged when sleeping. It is called a dakimakura in Japanese. In Chinese, its hanyu pinyin is "bao zhen" (lit. "hugging pillow"). In cantonese, it's called "Lam Chim". The Indonesian/Malay folks called it "bantal peluk" or "bantal guling".