n.
restroom; bathroom; toilet
洗手间
restroom; bathroom; toilet
Literally 'wash hands room' (洗 wash + 手 hand + 间 room). Polite, standard Chinese term for restroom or bathroom.
Common Usage & Traps
- 去洗手间 — go to the restroom
- 上洗手间 — use the restroom
- 洗手间在哪儿 — Where is the restroom?
- 去一下洗手间 — go to the restroom for a moment
-
我去洗手我去洗手间洗手 means wash your hands. It does not mean use the toilet. If you need the restroom, use 洗手间.
-
哪儿是洗手间洗手间在哪儿Chinese usually puts the place first. 哪儿是洗手间 sounds like you are picking one restroom out of several.
If I need the toilet, can I just say 我去洗手?
No. 我去洗手 means you are going to wash your hands, not use the toilet.
洗手间 literally looks like a wash-hands room, so learners often shorten it to 洗手. But 洗手 is just the action of washing your hands. If you say 我去洗手 at a restaurant, people may point you to the sink. To excuse yourself for the toilet, say 我去洗手间 or 我去一下洗手间. The 间 means room, so you need the full word.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Need the toilet | 我去洗手间 | 我去洗手 |
| Talking about the room | 洗手间在哪儿 | 洗手在哪儿 |
Can I say 上洗手间 instead of 去洗手间?
Yes. 去洗手间 focuses on going there; 上洗手间 focuses on using the toilet.
Both are natural in daily Chinese. 去洗手间 is the safe, neutral choice. 上洗手间 sounds a little more casual and euphemistic. If you are at a friend's dinner and need to excuse yourself, 我去一下洗手间 or 我去上一下洗手间 both work. For asking where it is, stick to 洗手间在哪儿.
“她去洗手间了。” (She went to the restroom.)
“她去洗手间了。” (She went to the restroom.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Neutral excuse | 我去一下洗手间 | 我去一下上洗手间 |
| Asking location | 洗手间在哪儿 | 上洗手间在哪儿 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.
- Scene #1
她去 洗手间 了。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!