洗手间 xǐshǒujiān toilet
toilet; lavatory; washroom
How to remember 洗手间: 洗 wash + 手 hand + 间 room = toilet.
Characters
How it is used
- Restroom / washroom - 洗手间在哪儿？ (xǐshǒujiān zài nǎr) where's the restroom?
- The polite, public-facing word; 厕所 (cèsuǒ, toilet) is plainer and blunter, more for a physical toilet.
- Literally 'hand-washing room', a euphemism much like English 'washroom'.
Example sentences
- 洗手间在哪里？ Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?Where is the bathroom?
- 我去下洗手间。 Wǒ qù xià xǐshǒujiān.I'm going to the bathroom.
- 我去一下洗手间。 Wǒ qù yíxià xǐshǒujiān.I'm going to the washroom.