At Turquaz, we spend a lot of time thinking about what children wear to bed — the softness of the fabric, the fit, the little details that make bedtime feel special. But we don't often stop to ask: where does the word pyjama actually come from? As it turns out, the story behind this everyday word is a small adventure through empires, languages, and changing fashions.
A Persian Beginning
The word traces back to Persian, where pāy means "leg" and jāma means "garment" or "clothing." Put together, pāy-jāma simply meant "leg garment" — a loose, lightweight trouser tied at the waist with a drawstring.
Travelling Through South Asia
From Persian, the word and the garment itself spread into Urdu and Hindi, where it became a staple of everyday dress across the Indian subcontinent, Iran, and neighbouring regions. These trousers were worn by people of all backgrounds — practical, breathable, and perfectly suited to warm climates. They had nothing to do with sleep at all; they were simply comfortable daywear.
The British Adopt a New Word
It was during the era of British colonial presence in India, from the 17th century onward, that European traders, officials, and travellers encountered these loose drawstring trousers and found them far more comfortable than their own stiff nightshirts. They began adopting the garment — and the word — for their own use, and by the early 19th century "pyjamas" had entered the English language.
Interestingly, when the British first adopted pyjamas, they were worn as lightweight, casual trousers, sometimes even during the day in hot climates. It was only gradually, through the 19th and into the 20th century, that "pyjamas" narrowed in English usage to mean specifically the two-piece sleepwear we know today: a loose top paired with loose trousers.
Spelling Across the English-Speaking World
You may have noticed the word has more than one spelling — and both are correct, just on different sides of the Atlantic:
- Pyjamas — the preferred spelling in British English, Australia, and much of the Commonwealth
- Pajamas — the standard American English spelling
Both descend from the same Persian root; the spelling split simply reflects how the word was transliterated and standardised differently as it settled into each dialect.
A Fitting Full Circle
There's a rather nice symmetry in all of this for us at Turquaz. The very word "pyjama" owes its existence to the Indian subcontinent, where the garment was worn and refined for centuries before the rest of the world adopted it. Today, our own pyjamas are handmade in India using pure, ethically sourced Indian cotton — so in a small way, we're not just borrowing the word, but honouring the place and the craftsmanship the word came from.
Why This Matters to Us
There's something rather lovely about the fact that the humble pyjama — a garment now associated with cosy bedtime routines, favourite characters, and the comfort of a good night's sleep — began its life as everyday trouserwear on the other side of the world, carried across cultures and centuries before landing in the wardrobes (and word lists) we know today.
So the next time you tuck your little one into their Turquaz pyjamas, you can share a fun fact along with the bedtime story: that cosy word they're wearing has travelled from Persia to the Punjab to your child's bedroom, changing shape and meaning all along the way.
Sweet dreams, from all of us at Turquaz.