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English Vocabulary: Don’t Call It a Toilet!

January 7, 2013 by Melanie

English Vocabulary: Do Not Call it a Toilet! | English Teacher Melanie

 

In Canada and the US it is impolite to use the word toilet. You can call the actual physical thing a toilet, but if you want to say that you need to use the toilet, you must say something else.

We have all sorts of other polite names for it! You can start by saying:

Where is the _________ ?
I need to use the _________.
I have to go to the __________.

 
Then, you can choose one of the following words, based on where you are:

restroom – in the US, in a public place
washroom – in Canada, in a public place
ladies’ room or men’s room – in a public place
bathroom – in someone’s house

 
In the construction, real estate, and interior design professions, there are two formal names for different types of bathrooms in a house:

powder room: a small bathroom with only a toilet and a sink (but with no bathtub or shower)

en suite: a full bathroom connected to a room

bathroom: a room with a toilet, a sink, and a bathtub and/or a shower, but not connected to a room

 
IMPORTANT: You may have learned some other slang words for toilet, but you must remember that those words are slang and should NOT be used in public or in a professional environment, especially with people you don’t know.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Vocabulary Tagged With: travel

Comments

  1. magda says

    September 26, 2010 at 12:36 am

    I always say restroom.

  2. Lelik says

    October 6, 2010 at 7:06 am

    thanks a lot for this explanation, always had problems with it, but in restaurants, I always asked the way to the ladies' room…by intuition I suppose..

  3. Lelik says

    October 7, 2010 at 5:08 am

    but I still don't understand why it is so embarrassing??? in Russian(I'm russian) we ask "Where's the toilet?", but in russian TOILET – means the room itself, for the object "toilet bowl" we have another word.

    • Ilyas says

      April 19, 2013 at 5:02 am

      I’m from Kazakhstan and at most we speak russian. Usually to say toilet politely we say “Ubornaya”.

  4. Andrew says

    June 4, 2012 at 7:26 pm

    Does this rule also apply to the word “lavatory”? Is lavatory has the same shade of meaning as toilet?

    • Melanie says

      June 4, 2012 at 10:16 pm

      That’s a good question, Andrew!

      Actually, in American English, the only time ‘lavatory’ is used is on an airplane! On an airplane, the small cabin with a toilet & a sink is called the ‘lavatory,’ (not just the toilet).

      = )

      • Andrew says

        June 5, 2012 at 2:29 pm

        Thank you, Melanie, for making it clear to me!
        Could you please comment on another rather popular word related to the subject – WC? What is its usage in the context of American/Canadian English?
        I am new to your blog and I find it just amazing! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with others!

        • Melanie says

          June 6, 2012 at 9:14 pm

          Thank YOU for your lovely comment, Andrew!

          WC isn’t used in North America. I’ve travelled a lot across Europe and I’ve noticed that WC is very common there. It stands for ‘water closet’ which is the old-fashioned word for ‘washroom.’

          = )

  5. miriam says

    July 16, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    hello teacher melanie thankyou soo much for your explanations .is it ok to say `loo`

    • Melanie says

      July 16, 2012 at 8:36 pm

      Hi, Miriam!

      ‘Loo’ is a British word! It’s not used in North America.

      = )

  6. Vinicius says

    October 19, 2012 at 12:54 pm

    This is a very nice subject for English students to talk about: Toilet, loo, washroom, WC, lavatory, bathroom, restroom, ladies’ room and men’s room.

    My first day at an English school in New Zealand was so embarassing. I asked for restroom to a South Korean student. She hadn’t understood me, so I explained her I was looking for a place where a could wash my hands. Then, she said to me: “Ah, a washroom!”

    Also “loo” is a very common word for toilet in New Zealand, as well in England.

  7. Smith says

    January 16, 2013 at 4:27 pm

    I’m from New Zealand, and everyone says toilet, and at restaurants on the toilet door it usually says ‘toilet’, not any of those things. I’m going to America soon, and I had no idea what the toilet was called. Thanks for this page!

  8. semih says

    September 12, 2013 at 9:15 am

    what about saying where is the water closet :)

    • Melanie says

      September 12, 2013 at 5:59 pm

      ‘Water closet’ is not an American expression. It’s used in the U.K. & Europe.

      If you say ‘water closet’ to an American or Canadian, he will not know what you are talking about!

      = )

  9. namy says

    September 16, 2013 at 6:27 am

    The first time I heard the word ” powder room”. It’s interesting :)

  10. Lidia says

    September 24, 2013 at 5:01 am

    Could you please say what I should say when I want to ask my 5 yo daughter if she needs to use the toilet? I think “Do you want to go potty?” is for kids that use ones. Right?
    Thanks!

    • Melanie says

      September 25, 2013 at 7:34 pm

      Hi, Lidia!

      A ‘potty’ is actually a specific container that is used (instead of the real toilet) to teach kids how to use the toilet!

      Some parents do say “Do you need to go potty?” to small children, but that’s a personal choice!

      You can just ask your daughter:
      “Do you need to use the toilet?”
      “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

      = )

  11. najmeh says

    November 15, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    that’s really useful :))

  12. abed says

    January 4, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    I always say bathroom.

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