What it means
روبالشی (ru-bâleshi) means “pillowcase,” the removable cloth cover you slip over a pillow. It is a pure Persian word made of رو (ru, “cover” or “over”) and بالش (bâlesh, “pillow”), so it literally reads as “pillow cover.” Keep it separate from بالش (bâlesh) itself, which is the pillow, not its case. A close synonym you will also hear is روکش بالش (rukesh-e bâlesh, “pillow cover”), though روبالشی is the normal word people use at home.
How to use it
- روبالشی رو عوض کن (rubâleshi ro avaz kon) “change the pillowcase”
- یه دست ملحفه و روبالشی خریدیم (ye dast malhafe va rubâleshi kharidim) “we bought a set of sheets and pillowcases”
- روبالشیا رو شستم (rubâleshiyâ ro shostam) “I washed the pillowcases”
- این روبالشی به روتختی نمیخوره (in rubâleshi be rutakhti nemikhore) “this pillowcase doesn’t match the bedspread”
Cultural note
Iranian bedding is usually bought and counted as a دست (dast, “set”), so a روبالشی typically comes matched with a ملحفه (sheet) and روتختی (bedspread) in the same fabric and pattern. A full bedding set is a classic item in a جهیزیه (jahizieh), the trousseau a bride brings to a new home. Many households keep a spare set or two in the closet so the bed can be freshened up before guests arrive.