What it means
جین (jins) means jeans, the denim trousers originally associated with workwear and now worn globally as everyday casual clothing. The word is borrowed directly from English “jeans,” which itself traces back to the French city of Genes (Genoa), where a type of heavy cotton fabric was produced. In Persian, جین is used as both a singular and a general category word: یه جین (ye jins) means a pair of jeans, and پارچه جین (pârcheh-ye jins) means denim fabric. The word شلوار جین (shalvâr-e jins) is also used, combining the native Persian word for trousers with the loanword to make the meaning explicit.
How to use it
- جینم کثیف شد. (Jinam kasif shod.) “My jeans got dirty.”
- یه جین آبی میخوام بخرم. (Ye jins-e âbi mikhâm bekharam.) “I want to buy a pair of blue jeans.”
- با جین و تیشرت رفت بیرون. (Bâ jins o ti-shart raft birun.) “He went out in jeans and a t-shirt.”
- این جین چقدر میارزه؟ (In jins cheghadr mi-arzeh?) “How much are these jeans worth?”
Cultural note
Jeans arrived in Iran during the mid-twentieth century and became immensely popular, particularly among young people, by the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. During the early post-revolutionary years, jeans were associated with Western influence and were at times restricted or discouraged in public spaces. Over the following decades, however, جین became entirely mainstream and are now worn openly by men and women of all ages across Iran. Buying jeans from Istanbul or Dubai as gifts for relatives is a common habit among Iranians travelling abroad, as imported brands carry prestige.