How to Say “I’m Going to the Restroom” Politely in Japanese?

The other day, I was watching a Japanese reality show, Terrace House (TERRACE HOUSE – OPENING NEW DOORS). While several members were chatting in the dining room, a guy just stood up and left the room saying “厠へ行ってきます(kawaya he ittekimasu)”. But looked like twenty-something other Japanese girls didn’t get what he meant.

“厠(kawaya)” is another name for a restroom in Japanese, and it’s one of the oldest expressions meaning a restroom. Thus, the guy above was just saying “I’m going to the restroom”, without being too direct.

Most common word for a restroom in Japanese is “トイレ(toire)“. This word can be used by kids, women, men, old and young, for any occasion. As for the word “便所(benjyo)“, which also means a restroom, you better not use it. If you are a boy and just talking to a boy’s friend, it’s okay. However, if you’re an adult, it may give people an impression that you are a ill-mannered and poorly educated person.

If you want to be a little bit more formal and polite than “トイレ(toire)“, you can say “お手洗い(otearai)“. It literally means a place to wash your hands, and you can use this word even during a meal without making people uncomfortable.

If you are a grown woman, other alternative to “トイレ(toire)” is “化粧室(keshoshitsu)” or “お化粧室(okeshoshitsu)“, which literally means a powder room. This word sounds more classy and feminine than any other words above.

 

There are also a lot of expressions meaning “going to the restroom”, however, most of them are a little difficult to guess the meaning unless you already know the hidden meaning. Below are some of those interesting Japanese expressions.

 

化粧を直しに行く(keshou wo naoshini iku)

This one is probably the easiest to guess. “化粧(keshou)” means a make-up, and “化粧を直しに行く(keshou wo naoshini iku)” literally means “I’m going to go freshen up”, which a lot of girls actually do in the restroom. This phrase is very common for women and you can use it at any occasion without sounding too fancy.

 

お花を摘みに行く(ohana wo tsumini iku)

This one is also one of very popular phrases for Japanese women. “お花(ohana)” means a flower. If you say “お花を摘みに行く(ohana wo tsumini iku)“, which literally means “I’m going to pick flowers”, it actually means “I’m going to the restroom”. This expression is widely known to most people, but it’s mainly used by girls or women. If you use this phrase, people would probably think you are a well-brought-up, well-educated, and well-mannered lady.

 

キジを撃ちに行く(kiji wo uchini iku)

So for girls, we can use the phrase “お花を摘みに行きます(ohana wo tsumini ikimasu)” to politely imply that you need to go to the restroom. Then, what about guys? Some men might say “キジを撃ちに行く(kiji wo uchini iku)” implying “I’m going to the restroom”. “キジ(kiji)” is a pheasant in English, and “キジを撃ちに行く(kiji wo uchini iku)” literally means “I’m going to hunt a pheasant”. We say that this phrase started to be used for saying “I’m going to the restroom” because when you sit in the Japanese-style restroom(和式トイレ/washiki toire), it looks like a posture to hunt pheasants.

 

熊を撃ちに行く(kuma wo uchini iku)

Another alternative to politely say “I’m going to the restroom” for guys is “熊を撃ちに行く(kuma wo uchini iku)“. “熊(kuma)” means a bear, and the phrase literally means “I’m going to hunt a bear”. Some say that using this phrase can imply that it may take more than a minute because hunting a bear is not an easy job!

 

レコーディングに行く(rekōdhingu ni iku)

This phrase is getting popular among young people. “レコーディング(rekōdhing)” is recording in English, and “レコーディングに行く(rekōdhing ni iku)” literally means “I’m going to go recording”. People started using this phrase because the other word for recording in Japanese is “音入れ(otoire)“, which has the same pronunciation as the restroom in Japanese “おトイレ(otoire)“.

 

横浜に行く(yokohama ni iku)

This one can be a little confusing depending on the context. “横浜に行く(Yokohama ni iku)” literally means “I’m going to Yokohama” (Yokohama is a city in Kanagawa prefecture). It is said that we started using this phrase since the area code for Yokohama is 045, which can be associated to the word “peeing” in Japanese; “おしっこ(oshikko)” because of the sounds of each number in Japanese (0= “o”, 4=”shi”, and 5=”go”).

 

三番入ります(sanban hairimasu)

In Japanese restaurants, waitresses, waiters and chefs hesitate to use the word “トイレ(toire)” not to make their customers uncomfortable while they are eating. So they often substitute the word into a number. “三番入ります(sanban hairimasu)” literally means “I’m going to go for number 3”. The number varies depending on the company, but this kind of expression “〇番入ります(X-ban hairimasu)” is widely used in a lot of businesses.

 

Have you ever heard any other phrases meaning “I’m going to the restroom” in Japanese? Is there any interesting expressions implying the restroom in your country? Tell us your stories in the comment section below!