寝衣

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
寝	衣
しん Grade: S	い Grade: 4
on’yomi	kan’on

Alternative spelling
寢衣 (kyūjitai)

Appears to be a coinage in Japanese from Middle Chinese-derived components, as a compound of 寝 (shin, “sleep”) +‎ 衣 (i, “robe, gown, clothing”).

First attested in 1870 in a translation of Samuel Smiles' English-language book, Self-Help; with Illustrations of Character and Conduct. This term thus may be a calque of English bed-clothes from the source text.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) し​んい [shíꜜǹ'ì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɕĩɰ̃i]

Noun

寝(しん)衣(い) • (shin'i) ^{←しんゐ (sin'wi)?}

1. [from 1870] bedclothes, sleepwear, nightwear, pajamas, nightgown

   Synonyms: 寝巻き (nemaki), パジャマ (pajama), ナイトガウン (naitogaun)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
寝	衣
ね Grade: S	まき Grade: 4
kun’yomi	jukujikun

Alternative spelling
寢衣 (kyūjitai)

This spelling is rare for the nemaki reading, and can be analyzed as partial jukujikun (熟字訓).

For pronunciation and definitions of 寝衣 – see the following entry.

【寝巻ねまき】 [noun] [from 1548] nightwear, nightgown, pajamas Alternative spellings 寝間着, 寝巻

(This term, 寝衣, is an alternative spelling (rare) of the above term.)