Salwar kameez (also spelled shalwar kameez or shalwar qameez) is the national dress of Pakistan. It is also the traditional dress worn by both women and men in South and Central part of Asia. It is widely believe that Shalwar Kameez was originated from Afghanistan and was spread out in in neighboring countries especially in India. Salwar or shalwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement.Transliterations starting from Punjabi often render the sibilant sound at the start of salwar/shalwar as an "s". Transliterations starting from Urdu, Persian, Pashto, Turkish languages use "sh". Both spellings are found in common English usage. The shalwar spelling seems to be most common in Canada and the United Kingdom, and is the preferred spelling in the Oxford English Dictionary. Salwar seems to be more common in the US and is found at many online stores selling salwar kameez. The word kameez is often spelled with an H, as in khameez.