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トイレ

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Japanese

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Etymology

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Clipping of トイレット (toiretto), borrowed from English toilet.[1][2][3]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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トイレ (toire

  1. bathroom, restroom, lavatory
  2. toilet

Usage notes

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While previously this term was considered rather crude when used to refer to the bathroom (being literally “toilet”), its usage is increasingly accepted, particularly in the younger generation – 「トイレはどこですか。」 (“Where is the toilet?”) is generally acceptable. In polite conversation, however, お手洗い (otearai, washroom) is preferred.

The honorific おトイレ (o-toire) is less often used, but is found, particularly in polite writing referring to toilets, rather than the room – if wishing to be polite when referring to the room, one would more often use お手洗い.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  4. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN