One of the first things you learn in a foreign language is how to ask where the bathroom is. I’m sure many people who speak only minimal Spanish can spit out the word baño while they frantically dance about, showing their urgency. While baño will generally get you what you want, it’s certainly not the only word for bathroom in Spanish. Check out all these other vocabulary words for restroom.
9 Words in Spanish for Bathroom
1. Baño:
This is the basic and most common word for bathroom.
2. Lavabo:
This word can be used to be washroom, sink, or washbasin.
3. Ladies:
Spanglish at it’s worst, el ladies can refer to the ladies room.
4. Retrete:
Lavatory, bathroom.
5. Sanitario:
Literally, this means “sanitary,” but it is often used to refer to public bathrooms.
6. Servicio:
Think of this one as a polite way to avoid saying anything bathroom related and just asking for the “services”
7. Toilette:
This one sounds a bit French, but you’ll see and hear it from time to time.
8. Letrina:
In old times, it was the common area bathroom outside of the house. Today it means a portable toilet. The literal translation is a latrine.
9. Aseo:
This word literally means “cleanliness” but you may hear it in countries like Spain.
More Bathroom Vocabulary in Spanish
While in the bathroom, there are a couple of words that might be useful to know. Here are some of the most common things you will find in a bathroom with the different Spanish word examples and some of the countries that uses them. These examples are all found in the book El español de España y el español de América, a great resource with vocabulary comparisons from Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Sink
• lavabo (México, Spain, Uruguay)
• lavatorio (Argentina, Chile)
• lavamanos (México, Puerto Rico, Venezuela)
• pileta (Uruguay)
Toilet bowl
• váter (Spain)
• inodoro (Argentina, Puerto Rico, Uruguay)
• taza or taza de baño (Chile, México, Spain)
• excusado (México)
• water (Uruguay)
• poceta (Venezuela)
Toilet paper
• papel higiénico (Argentina, Chile, Spain, Uruguay)
• papel confort (Chile)
• papel de baño or papel sanitario (México, Puerto Rico)
• papel toilet (Venezuela)
Bath tub
• bañera (Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela)
• bañadera (Argentina)
• tina (Chile, México)
Shower Head
• alcachofa (Spain)
• flor (Argentina)
• ducha (Chile, Puerto Rico)
• regadera (México, Venezuela)
• roseta (Uruguay)
Medicine cabinet
• armario de baño (Argentina, Spain, Uruguay)
• gabinete de baño (México, Venezuela)
• botiquín (Puerto Rico, Uruguay)
The Spanish Bathroom Infographic
If you want to improve your Spanish vocabulary, I highly recommend El español de España y el español de América as a reference book for daily common words.
Can you think of any to add to the list? How about identifying more Spanish-speaking countries that use any of these words?
Check out these other articles about the Spanish Language.
