和製英語と英語の違いを説明するシリーズLost in Translation
第2回の今日は”トイレ”です。

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Lost in Translation Part.2 トイレ（Toilet）
Tyler Ayala

Many foreign words have been adopted into the Japanese language. However, they occasionally do not maintain their original meanings and rarely keep the same nuance. One such word is トイレ, which is taken from the English word ‘toilet’.

In Japanese, the word トイレ would mean something like this image below.

In English, if we were to hear the word toilet, we would think of the image below:

(c) unew ｜写真素材 PIXTA

This might seem like a small difference; however, this is quite a difference to English speakers. Saying トイレはどこですか？ in Japanese is perfectly acceptable. However, if we say, “Where is the toilet?” in English, this is considered vulgar. Using the word toilet is a bit offensive. Instead, we use restroom, bathroom or lavatory. Restroom is the most polite, while lavatory is used for airplanes.

To ask someone in English, トイレはどこですか？, be sure to use this sentence: “Where is the restroom.” In this way, you will be able to avoid risking offending your guests during a business meeting.

Occasionally, you may be able to use ‘toilet’ if you are not participating in a business meeting and are close friends with that person. You might say, ‘Excuse me. I’m gonna pop into the toilet real quick.’ However, this is a very casual way.

※The English described in this blog is from an American perspective. Cultural reactions and vocabulary might be different in other countries like Canada, Britain and Australia.