Rei and I are back from our wedding & honeymoon adventure!

We had a great time, and everything was perfect.

Since we're now finished with that, though, it's time for all of us to start studying like ninja nerds.

Yes, you, Lazy. And me. It's study time. (T_T)

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The other day, I got an interesting email from my editor in Tokyo.He wanted to know if the following English sentences had been correctly translated into Japanese:

A: Can I wash my hands?
「手を洗ってもいいですか」
「て　を　あらっても　いい　です　か」
Literally: "hand + を + is it OK to wash (=even wash + good) + です + か"

B: Of course. The bathroom is over there.
「もちろんです。洗面所はあちらです」
「もちろん　です。　せんめんじょ　は　あちら　です」
Literally: "of course + です. + washroom / bathroom + は + over there + です"

The reason he asked about this sentence is that he saw the following entry in a Japanese-English dictionary:

Where can I wash my hands?
「トイレはどこですか」

Can you read that Japanese? It's actually saying, "Where is the bathroom?"

トイレはどこですか？
トイレ　は　どこ　です　か？
Where is the bathroom [toilet]?
Literally: “toilet + は + where + です + か?”

In other words, one of his dictionaries is claiming that "Where can I wash my hands?" is a euphemism for "Where is the bathroom?"

Maybe some native English speakers would agree with that, but I don't think it's a euphemism (i.e. a nicer, mild way of saying something). If you ask me "Where can I wash my hands?" I might show you to the kitchen sink. ^^

Anyway, because of this dictionary entry, he was concerned that perhaps he should have translated "Can I wash my hands?" like this:

A: Can I wash my hands?
「トイレはどこですか」

B: The bathroom is over there.
「お手洗いはあちらです」
Note: お手洗い (おてあらい) is a nice word for "restroom" or "washroom." We'll get into this soon.

To understand his confusion, I think it may help to clarify the difference between most (not all) Western and Japanese bathrooms.

Specifically, we should be clear on what these words mean: トイレ、洗面所、お手洗い、化粧室.

Pictures will help...

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トイレ
toilet

A トイレ is a "toilet," and this can refer to the toilet itself, or to a separate room with a toilet:

When you look at apartment-searching websites in Japan, one of the apartment features you can search by will be something along the lines of バス・トイレ別 (バス・トイレ べつ // separate bath and toilet). This is because nicer homes will rarely (almost never?) have a toilet in the same room as the bath and shower.

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洗面所
せんめんじょ
washroom

If you look in a Japanese-English dictionary, 洗面所 will probably be translated as "washroom" or "bathroom." As with many nouns that represent physical objects, though, the best dictionary is Google Images.

Now tell me, how many toilets do you see in these search results?

None!

Quite a few washing machines, but that's a story for another day.

Looking at the kanji, 洗 (wash) + 面 (face) + 所 (place), it's pretty clear that the 洗面所 is a place for washing up. That is, it's not a "toilet." That's why this translation is (I think) good:

A: Can I wash my hands?
「手を洗ってもいいですか」
「て　を　あらっても　いい　です　か」
Literally: "hand + を + is it OK to wash (=even wash + good) + です + か"

B: Of course. The bathroom is over there.
「もちろんです。洗面所はあちらです」
「もちろん　です。　せんめんじょ　は　あちら　です」
Literally: "of course + です。 + washroom / bathroom + は + over there + です"

Although the English says "bathroom," we're actually talking about a place to wash one's hands. Person A is not asking to use the toilet, so Person B is not telling them where the toilet is. Rather, Person B is telling them where the bathroom sink is.

Starting to make sense?

If so, don't worry. I can make this more confusing...

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お手洗い
おてあらい
restroom; lavatory; bathroom

So the "wash-face-place" might not have a toilet, but it will definitely have a sink.

However, the "honorable hand-wash" (お手洗い) will have a toilet.

That's because お手洗い is just a nice word for "toilet" (i.e. the room with a toilet):

Since the お手洗い is the toilet, the following translation is (I think) incorrect:

A: Can I wash my hands?
「トイレはどこですか」

B: The bathroom is over there.
「お手洗いはあちらです」

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化粧室
けしょうしつ
lavatory; powder room; toilet

Since we're looking at different words for "toilet" and "bathroom," I thought I might as well introduce this one, too.

化粧 (けしょう) means "makeup." So literally translated, 化粧室 (けしょうしつ) is the "makeup room" or the "powder room."

This, like お手洗い, is just a nice word for トイレ, "toilet; bathroom." It is only used for public bathrooms.

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So I've been having lots of fun talking about these different word nuances, but many of you are probably bored out of your minds.

Don't go anywhere just yet, though.

First you should memorize the following sentences. They will absolutely come in handy when in Japan...

トイレはどこですか？
トイレ　は　どこ　です　か？
Where is the restroom [bathroom (toilet)]?
Literally: “toilet + は + where + です + か？”
Note: Use this one at a store, station, restaurant, etc. If you wanted to sound a bit more polite, use お手洗い (おてあらい) in place of トイレ.

トイレをお借りできますか？
トイレ　を　おかり　できます　か？
Could I possibly use your restroom?
Literally: “toilet + を + borrowing + can do + か？”
Note: Use this one when visiting someone's home or office... someone you should show respect to. Again, saying お手洗い (おてあらい) in place of トイレ sounds a bit nicer.

トイレを借りてもいいですか？
トイレ　を　かりても　いい　です　か？
Do you mind if I use your restroom [bathroom]?
Literally: “toilet + を + is it OK to borrow (=even borrow + good) + です + か？”
Note: Use this when visiting someone's home or office. It's polite, but it's not super-polite.

トイレ借りていい？
トイレ　かりて　いい？
Can I use your bathroom [toilet]?
Literally: “toilet + is it OK to borrow (=even borrow + good)？”
Note: Use this when at the home of close friends.

As you might guess, translating the different nuances of these sentences is no easy task. But you'll get a sense for this stuff over time. ^^