How To Ask “Where Is The Toilet” In Different Languages

Blog
17 August 2023
By Sarah Angela Almaden
Japanese House
Unsplash: Mick Haupt

What is it about the toilet or the bathroom or the restroom or the loo that gets everyone so interested? Is it because there are these extra lighting and fabulous mirrors ready for you to snap those needed pictures? Or is it because this space is where you can hold your private concerts any time of day? Or is it because anywhere you go, there is always going to be a unique bathroom of some sort? Like if you go to the airport, you can find bathroom stalls every one hundred one steps or something. And if you go to a restaurant, you can easily find the restroom somewhere in the corner. If you go to a library, you can always find a private loo here and there. In a way, you can say that toilets are everywhere. As they should be because we do need them for many reasons like texting or calling or getting away.

So, wherever you go, just know that you can always find a bathroom near you. And in this bathroom, you can do anything you want and like just as long as you wash your hands with soap and water for about 20 seconds or at least one happy-birthday-song sing-along. Now, the only question left is: do you know how to ask for the toilet in different languages?

Japanese House

Giphy / The Academy Awards

  • American English: Where is the bathroom? (where is the bathroom)
  • British English: Where is the loo? (where is the loo)
  • Spanish: ¿Dónde están los baños? (don-deh estan los ban-yos)
  • French: Où sont les toilettes? (oo son les twah-let)
  • German: Wo ist die Toilette? (voh ist di toh-let-tuh)
  • Korean: 화장실 어디 있어요? (hwajangsil eodi iss-eoyo)
  • Japanese: トイレはどこですか? (toire wa dokodesu ka)
  • Indonesian: Permisi, dimanakamar kecilnya? (permisi dimanakamar keh-chil-nya)
  • Swedish: Var är toaletten? (var air twa-let-ten)
  • Dutch: Waar is de wv? (var is da vay-say)
  • Brazilian Portuguese: Onde é o banheiro? (on-jeh eh o ban-yey-roo)
  • Italian: Dov’è la toilette? (doh-veh la twa-let)
  • Mandarin Chinese: 哪里有洗手间? (nǎ lǐ yǒu xǐshǒujiān)
  • Norwegian: Hvor er toalettet? (voor ar twa-let-tuh)
  • Polish: Gdzie jest toaleta? (gidzheh yest toh-ah-let-tah)
  • Finish: Missä on vessa? (mis-sah on ves-sah)
  • Turkish: Tuvalet nerede? (too-va-let neredeh)
  • Tagalog: Nasaan ang CR? (na-sa-an ang see-ar)
  • Greek: Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; (Pú íne i tualéta?)