Korean Bathroom Vocabulary: 30 Words with Romanization and Audio

Korean Bathroom Vocabulary at a Glance

This list has 30 words in five groups of six. It covers the fixtures in a bathroom, the toiletries on the shelf, the cloths and bins, the polite sentences for asking where a restroom is and the words for public restrooms. It belongs to House and Home. Many words are loanwords, so you can read most toiletry labels the day you learn Hangul.

The group on polite requests is the one that helps travellers most. The next section ranks all 30 words by how soon you will need them.

Which Bathroom Words Should You Learn First?

Learn 화장실 (restroom), 어디예요 (where is it), 휴지 (toilet paper), 수건 (towel) and 비누 (soap) first. They let you find a restroom, notice that the paper is missing and ask for a towel or soap. Then add the fixtures you see in a guesthouse bathroom, such as 샤워기 and 세면대.

• Words to say. 화장실, 휴지, 수건, 비누, 칫솔. Use these to ask and to request.
• Words to recognise. 사용 중, 비어 있어요, 남자, 여자, 휴지통. These appear on doors and signs.
• Words to match to products. 샴푸, 린스, 바디워시, 치약. These are loanwords or short words on the labels.

Three words for the bathroom need a clear split. 화장실 is the restroom you ask for in public, and it is also the everyday word for the toilet room at home. 욕실 is the room for bathing, and it names the room in a house plan or a hotel listing. 세면대 is the washbasin. The scene below shows a bathroom with numbered objects that match the list.

Word · 10

1. 1

   화장실

   Play

   hwajangsil

   restroom; toilet room

2. 2

   욕실

   Play

   yoksil

   bathroom (room for bathing)

3. 3

   변기

   Play

   byeongi

   toilet bowl

4. 4

   세면대

   Play

   semyeondae

   washbasin

5. 5

   욕조

   Play

   yokjo

   bathtub

6. 6

   샤워기

   Play

   syawogi

   shower head

7. 7

   비누

   Play

   binu

   soap

8. 8

   샴푸

   Play

   syampu

   shampoo

9. 9

   수건

   Play

   sugeon

   towel

10. 10

    휴지

    Play

    hyuji

    toilet paper; tissue

Bathroom Fixtures

Fixtures are the permanent parts of a bathroom. 변기 is the toilet bowl, 세면대 is the washbasin, 욕조 is the bathtub and 샤워기 is the shower head. Many Korean homes have no separate bathtub, just a shower on the wall and a floor drain, so 욕조 is not always present. The Sino-Korean words end in 대 (stand), 조 (tub) or 기 (device).

Notice that 막혔어요 is a past form used for a present state. The toilet was blocked and still is, so Korean uses the past tense to say it is blocked now. The same pattern appears in 고장 났어요, it broke down.

Example Sentences

Three frames carry the examples. The first is noun + 이/가 어디예요? (where is the noun?), as in 화장실이 어디예요?. The second is noun + 이/가 없어요 (there is no noun), as in 휴지가 없어요. The third is noun + 주세요 (please give me noun), as in 수건 주세요. Say each sentence aloud after the audio, then swap in another word. 이 follows a consonant (화장실이) and 가 follows a vowel (샴푸가).

How Do You Say Toiletries in Korean?

Most toiletry names are loanwords, which makes them easy to read. 샴푸 is shampoo, 린스 is conditioner and 바디워시 is body wash, all copied from English. Two native or Sino-Korean words stand out: 비누 is soap and 치약 is toothpaste. 칫솔 is the toothbrush. 치 (teeth) appears in both 치약 and 칫솔.

In Korea, guesthouses and cheap hotels often supply a small set of 칫솔 and 치약 only on request, and some offer them at the front desk. Ask 칫솔 있어요? (do you have a toothbrush?). Both words appear in the bathroom in Korean word page.

Cleaning and Laundry Items

This group covers the things that dry you, hold waste or help you clean. A 수건 is a towel, and a 걸레 is a cleaning cloth. A 휴지 is toilet paper, and a 휴지통 is the bin where used paper goes. A 슬리퍼 is the bathroom slipper, which Koreans often wear on a wet floor. A 빨래 바구니 is a laundry basket.

In some older buildings and some public restrooms a sign asks users to put used paper in the bin and not in the toilet. If you see a bin beside the toilet, follow the sign. The word 휴지통 is the one on that sign. Treat this as a local convention to check on the spot.

How Do You Say Polite Ways to Ask for the Bathroom in Korean?

To ask for a restroom, say 화장실이 어디예요? (where is the restroom?). To ask permission to use one in a shop, say 화장실 좀 써도 돼요?, which means may I use the restroom? The word 좀 softens a request, like please or a little. On the door itself, 사용 중 means in use and 비어 있어요 means it is vacant.

You can often get by with only the word 화장실? and a questioning tone, but the full sentence is more polite. For other travel sentences, see the travel phrases. Also learn the two signs 남자 and 여자 by sight, since pictures on doors are not always clear.

Public Restrooms

Public restrooms in Korean stations, parks and shopping centres are usually free and clean. A 공중화장실 is a public restroom, 장애인 화장실 is an accessible restroom and 수유실 is a nursing room. Newer restrooms often add a 비데 (bidet seat) and a 손 건조기 (hand dryer). 화장지 is the more formal word for toilet paper, used on packaging and signs.

How Do You Pronounce These Words?

Bathroom words contain tense sounds and linking. Standard pronunciation follows the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) rules, and the romanization follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which does not mark every sound change.

The tense ㅆ in 욕실 and 칫솔 is the sound to practise. Say it with a tight throat and no breath, then compare it with the plain ㅅ in 수건. The pronunciation pages of this site explain the difference in detail.

Audio and Slow Playback

Each word and sentence has its own clip. The five clips below replay the hardest words slowly. Play one, repeat it aloud, then play it again and compare.

What Mistakes Do Learners Make with Bathroom Words?

Five mistakes come up again and again.

1. Asking for 욕실 in a shop. 욕실 is the bathing room. In a cafe or a store, ask for the 화장실.
2. Dropping 좀 from the request. 화장실 써도 돼요? is understandable, but 좀 makes it softer and more polite.
3. Confusing 휴지 and 휴지통. 휴지 is the paper and 휴지통 is the bin. A sign that says 휴지통에 버리세요 asks you to put paper in the bin.
4. Assuming a bathtub. Many flats have only a shower, so 욕조 may not be in the room. Ask 샤워 가능해요? (can I shower?) if it matters.
5. Guessing the door from the picture alone. Pictures on restroom doors are not always clear. Learn to read 남자 (man) and 여자 (woman), and pick the door that matches.

Knowing the 화장실 and 욕실 split solves most confusion. For the single query on its own, see bathroom in Korean. The practice section below turns the list into drills.

Practice: Flashcards and Worksheet

Study in three steps. First, run the flashcard deck in recognition mode until you recognise all 30 words. Second, switch to listening mode. Third, take the quiz. The deck holds all 30 words with audio, and your progress stays in your browser. The vocabulary flashcard decks page lists the other decks.

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, label your own bathroom with sticky notes in Korean: 변기, 세면대, 수건, 비누. Seeing the word every day is the fastest way to fix it.

Where to Go Next

After this page, continue with Korean Kitchen Vocabulary or Korean Bedroom Vocabulary. For more asking sentences, see the travel phrases. For the single query on its own, see bathroom in Korean. To move up a level, return to House and Home.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Say Restroom in Korean?

Restroom is 화장실 (hwajangsil). Ask 화장실이 어디예요? (Where is the restroom?) in a shop or station. It is the everyday word for a toilet room in public, and many people also use it at home for the whole bathroom. Say it in three even beats.

How Do You Pronounce 욕실 (yoksil)?

Say yok-sil, but make the second sound tense, as in [욕씰]. After a final ㄱ, the ㅅ is said tight, with no puff of air. The word means the room for bathing. Press the audio button on this page to hear it and the slow version.

How Many Bathroom Words Should I Learn First?

Five first: 화장실, 어디예요, 휴지, 수건 and 비누. At five new words a day the whole list of 30 takes six days plus review. Learn the polite request group before the fixtures if you are about to travel.

Where Can I Practise Bathroom Words with Flashcards?

Use the vocabulary flashcard decks. The deck for this page holds all 30 words with Hangul, romanization and audio, with recognition and listening modes. Your progress stays in your browser. Return daily and review the cards you missed.

Is the Romanization on This Page Official?

It follows the Revised Romanization of Korean, which South Korea adopted on 7 July 2000 and whose rules the National Institute of Korean Language (국립국어원) publishes. It is a learning aid and does not mark every sound change, so rely on the Hangul and the audio.

Is There a Printable Worksheet for Bathroom Words?

A printable worksheet for these words (word list, matching, writing practice, fill-in-the-blank exercises and answer key) is available in A4 and US Letter from the download card on this page. For practice, copy the tables on this page by hand or use the flashcard deck, which carries the same 30 words.

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