Different Countries' names for their public lavatories

[vita32]

For people who travel to different countries, it must be a good thing to know what the public restroom is called in each country that they visit.

US = Restroom
Philippines = Comfort Room or CR
Britain =?
Canada =?
France = ?
Spain = ?
Mexico = ?
Japan = ?
China = ?

Etc....?

[chileno]

Chile = Baño o Water (éste último ya casi no se usa y ya se utiliza más para la taza del baño)

[Thomas]

Vita32, how about "casilla"? (Nasa'an casilla?) I've also heard "comfort station". That was from a Cebuano speaker.

In the USA I have heard: john, crapper (sounds vulgar but it's not), head (mostly US Navy and US Marines), head (mostly US Army), KYBO (almost exclusively Boy Scouts), loo (almost exclusively women), ladies room, gentelemen's room, powder room (women), little boys room, little girls room (both used by adults), lavatory, "place where I can wash my hands", bathroom (usually in a private home), restroom (usually public), the can (men), etc.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by vita32

For people who travel to different countries, it must be a good thing to know what the public restroom is called in each country that they visit.

US = Restroom
Philippines = Comfort Room or CR
Britain =?
Canada =?
France = ?
Spain = servicios (common), lavabo (some places), baño
Mexico = ?
Japan = ?
China = ?

Etc....?

Good question.

[Perikles]

BrE: Public Toilets

The bog

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Perikles: I've seen some of my British friends use "the loo". How often is it heard?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Perikles: I've seen some of my British friends use "the loo". How often is it heard?

Interesting question. It depends on the social circles you move in. I remember as a student being asked by a high-class girl where the nearest loo was. I was around 20 years old, and I'd never heard the word before! She then rolled her eyes when she realized she was speaking to one of oi polloi, and she said lavatory, thinking this was a word I would understand.

Anyway, the word loo is nowadays quite well known. Its etymology is not so well known. Some think it is because this facility was often room no. 100 in a large building. Others think that it is because old French toilets used to have two small holes o o in the door the see whether it was occupied, so it was called l'o o'

[vita32]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Interesting question. It depends on the social circles you move in. I remember as a student being asked by a high-class girl where the nearest loo was. I was around 20 years old, and I'd never heard the word before! She then rolled her eyes when she realized she was speaking to one of oi polloi, and she said lavatory, thinking this was a word I would understand.

Anyway, the word loo is nowadays quite well known. Its etymology is not so well known. Some think it is because this facility was often room no. 100 in a large building. Others think that it is because old French toilets used to have two small holes o o in the door the see whether it was occupied, so it was called l'o o'

Peep holes in toilet doors!!!

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Originally Posted by Perikles

Interesting question. It depends on the social circles you move in. I remember as a student being asked by a high-class girl where the nearest loo was. I was around 20 years old, and I'd never heard the word before! She then rolled her eyes when she realized she was speaking to one of oi polloi, and she said lavatory, thinking this was a word I would understand.

Thank you! I shall make sure to use the word only among people who have used it before.

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Was this some kind of "hoity-toity meets the hoi polloi"?

[ericrcan]

En México: el baño

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

meets the hoi polloi

Yes, but it's meets hoi polloi because hoi is the definite article (It should actually be tous pollous, but that is a different story).

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

The definition in my Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary uses "the", but thank you for the correction. Both expressions are new for me.

[Thomas]

In the States I've also heard "outhouse". This is a structure in the country without plumbing. I used one as a kid. For goodness sake, never drop a toy into one. If you get it out, if you clean it thoroughly, the toy will never again have the appeal to you it once had.

Also retrete, WC (water closet), inodoro, sanitario, excusado, etc. In Costa Rica, when someone tells you he is sorry, you tell him "Estás excusado". It's just a little "potty humor".

[Sancho Panther]

Actually the most generally accepted origin of the rather twee British name 'loo' comes from the emptiying of chamber pots from fist floor of medieval houses and alerting passers by with a cry of "Guarde l'eau"!

The theory is that that the upper classes employ 'lavatory' to distinguish themselves from lesser mortals who say 'toilet'! Accordig to QI it was the pisshouse until Queen Victoria's ultra delicate sensibilities became de rigueur!

[Caballero]

Originally Posted by Thomas

In the States I've also heard "outhouse". This is a structure in the country without plumbing. I used one as a kid. For goodness sake, never drop a toy into one. If you get it out, if you clean it thoroughly, the toy will never again have the appeal to you it once had.

Now they're called Honey Buckets.

[conejodescarado]

I've only lived in England and Australia, so can only really comment on those, but in my experience, both countries use the same terminology, mostly.

In England you'll often just outright hear "Can you tell me where the toilets are please?", otherwise often, yes, loo. Less common, but still relatively frequent is lavvy (short for lavatory... which is seldom heard).

Bog is a very slang way of talking about the toilet in the UK :P

In Australia, same thing, you'll just hear "toilet" most often, and occasionally loo. I've never heard lavvy/lavatory being used here.

Australia have some other slang terms too, but you'd only use them between friends: dunny, shitter

Restroom is not used at all in these two countries!

[Sancho Panther]

Restroom is not used at all in these two countries!

And I, for one am delighted to hear that, I detest those mealy-mouthed US euphimisms, panties is another one - what's wrong with knickers for God's sake?

Mind you, on the other hand I'm pleased to say that you never, ever hear that dreadful US insult 'M***er F***er' over here. I would say that if you hurled that at anyone this side of the Atlantic, you'd be in danger of dreadful retribution, for which the courts would offer little penalty.

[CrOtALiTo]

Hello.

Good morning.

When I read this post, I had a question. What does restroom means?
Because casually I did a little search in internet about its meaning, but I didn't have much luck or at least I didn't was lucky for the moment.


Bathroom and bestroon are they the same?

Where is used that phrase or definition.

That word is completely used for us in English for exchange the bathroom word?

[conejodescarado]

Este thread entero es sobre todos los modos decir "bathroom", sí

restroom = bathroom (pero sólo en EEUU).

Sin embargo no se usa la palabra a casa, se usa sólo a restaurantes/tiendas/bars/hotels etc.

[Sancho Panther]

Sin embargo no se usa la palabra en casa, se usa sólo en restaurantes/tiendas/bares/hoteles etc.[/QUOTE]

"Si hago errores (o digo cosas extrañas), déjame saberlo de modo que puedo entender y aprender, gracias "

Conejodescarado - I'm sorry to be rude, I really am, but I find "O digo cosas extraños" so funny. I think "O digo cosas incorrectas" or "Algo incorrecto" would be far better. I mean 'cosas extrañas' isn't incorrect but it does sound funny - a bit like saying "If I say strange things".