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Say it in Chinese

How to say where is the bathroom in Chinese

Updated

To ask where the bathroom is in Chinese, say 洗xí手shǒu间jiān在zài哪ná里li? 洗xí手shǒu间jiān is the polite word for restroom. 在zài哪ná里li means “where is it”. You can ask anyone: shop staff, cleaners, your hosts.

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The phrase

洗手间在哪里？ (xí shǒu jiān zài ná li?) Where is the restroom?
  • 洗手间xí shǒu jiānrestroom
  • 在zàiat
  • 哪里ná liwhere

What it means

洗xí手shǒu间jiān means “restroom”. Word for word it is “wash hands room”, like the English “washroom”. 在zài means “is at” and 哪ná里li means “where”.

There are two words for the toilet:

  • 洗xí手shǒu间jiān is the polite word. You see it on signs in malls, hotels and restaurants.
  • 厕cè所suǒ is the plain, everyday word.

Both are fine to say.

How to say it

Say xí shǒu jiān zài ná li.

Two syllables change. 洗xǐ and 手shǒu both dip on their own. When two dipping tones come together, the first one rises: xí shǒu. 哪ná里li changes the same way: ná li.

zài falls. li at the end is short and soft.

The pinyin shows how people really say it, the same as in the game.

When to use it

  1. In a mall or a station

    Restrooms have signs, but they are often at the far end of a floor or near the lifts. Ask a cleaner or a shop assistant.

  2. In someone’s home

    Hosts often show guests where to wash their hands before a meal. If not, ask. It is a normal question.

  3. In a restaurant

    Ask the staff. In small restaurants the restroom may be outside the main room, shared with the building.

Other ways to say it

Single words and other ways to ask, all from the game.

  • 洗手间 (xí shǒu jiān) restroom

    Said on its own with a questioning look, it is enough when you are in a hurry.

  • 厕所 (cè suǒ) toilet

    The plain word. Fine in daily speech, a little less polite than 洗xí手shǒu间jiān.

  • 我想上厕所…… (wǒ xiǎng shàng cè suǒ……) I want to go to the toilet…

    上shàng厕cè所suǒ is “go to the toilet”. Use it with friends, or to say why you are leaving the table.

  • 在哪里？ (zài ná li?) Where is it?

    Point at a sign or at a word on your phone and ask. It works for any place.

What people say back

  • 洗手间在哪里？ (xí shǒu jiān zài ná li?) Where is the restroom?

    You ask a cleaner on the ground floor of a mall.

    They may say 一直往前走，电梯旁边就是。 (yì zhí wǎng qián zǒu, diàn tī páng biān jiù shì.) Keep going straight; it's right next to the elevator. (Listen for 一yì直zhí (straight on) and 旁páng边biān (next to).)
  • 洗手间在哪里？ (xí shǒu jiān zài ná li?) Where is the restroom?

    You ask your host before lunch.

    They may say 那边！ (nà biān!) Over there! (Usually with a point.)
  • 在哪里？ (zài ná li?) Where is it?

    You show a passer-by the metro station on your phone.

    They may say 地铁站啊？前面，右转。 (dì tiě zhàn a? qián mian, yòu zhuǎn.) The metro station? Up ahead, turn right. (Directions are usually this short.)

Common mistakes

  • Asking for a “bath room”

    浴yù室shì (bathroom) is a room with a shower or a bath. For the toilet, say 洗xí手shǒu间jiān or 厕cè所suǒ.

  • No tissues

    Many public restrooms in China have no toilet paper in the stalls. Some have it near the entrance. Carry a small pack of tissues.

  • Missing the answer

    Directions are short and fast. Listen for one or two words: 前qián面mian (ahead), 左zuǒ边bian (left), 右yòu边bian (right), 旁páng边biān (next to). Then look where they point.

Where it comes up in the game

  • The mall

    On your second visit to the mall you suddenly need the restroom. You put 洗xí手shǒu间jiān and 在zài哪ná里li together and ask a cleaner. She sends you to the far end of the floor, next to the lifts. At the stall door you have to say 上shàng厕cè所suǒ before you can go in.

  • Lunch at a family home

    Before lunch everyone washes their hands. You ask 洗xí手shǒu间jiān在zài哪ná里li? and the grandmother shows you the way.

  • A water town

    The same question comes back on a day trip out of the city, in a small town of canals and stone bridges.

Questions

How do you say where is the bathroom in Chinese?

Where is the bathroom in Chinese is 洗xí手shǒu间jiān在zài哪ná里li? 洗xí手shǒu间jiān means “restroom” and 在zài哪ná里li means “where is it”.

What is the Chinese word for toilet?

The everyday Chinese word for toilet is 厕cè所suǒ. The more polite word, used on signs, is 洗xí手shǒu间jiān. Word for word it means “wash hands room”.

Why does 洗 rise in 洗手间?

洗xǐ rises because the next syllable, shǒu, also dips. When two dipping tones come together, the first one rises. Dictionaries write xǐ shǒu jiān. People say xí shǒu jiān.

How do you say where in Chinese?

Where in Chinese is 哪ná里li. To ask where something is, say the place, then 在zài哪ná里li: 地dì铁tiě站zhàn在zài哪ná里li (where is the metro station)?

Do public toilets in China have toilet paper?

Many public toilets in China have no paper in the stalls. Malls, hotels and newer stations usually do. Carry a small pack of tissues.

How do you say I need to go to the toilet in Chinese?

I need to go to the toilet in Chinese is 我wǒ想xiǎng上shàng厕cè所suǒ. 上shàng厕cè所suǒ means “go to the toilet”.