To ask where the toilet is in German, say Entschuldigung, wo ist die Toilette? (voh ist dee toy-LET-teh). Toilette is the neutral word for anywhere. You'll see WC on signs, friends say Klo (loo), and Bad is the bathroom in someone's home. On the doors, Damen means women and Herren means men.
- Where's the toilet?
- Wo ist die Toilette?
- On signs
- WC, Toiletten
- Casual
- das Klo
- At someone's home
- das Bad, das Gäste-WC
- Level
- A1
Toilette, WC, Klo or Bad: which word should you use?
In a café, a station or a museum, ask for die Toilette or, as most public places have several, die Toiletten. The English habit of asking for the "bathroom" doesn't carry over: das Bad is a room with a bath or shower, so it only makes sense in a flat or house.
| German | Register | Where you'd use it |
|---|---|---|
| die Toilette | Neutral | Anywhere; the safe choice |
| das WC (veh-TSEH) | Neutral | Signs, menus, estate-agent listings |
| das Klo | Casual | Friends and family, like English loo |
| das Bad / das Badezimmer | Neutral | The bathroom in a home |
| das Gäste-WC | Neutral | A separate guest toilet in a home |
| das stille Örtchen | Jokey | The "quiet little place", a euphemism |
Both words appear in Contos stories. At home, it is the bathroom door, in a flatshare where one housemate surfaces in the middle of a crisis:
Plötzlich macht Jonas die Badezimmertür auf.In a bar, it is the toilet, and zur Toilette (to the toilet) doubles as an escape route:
Aber Katrin springt auf und läuft zur Toilette, bevor jemand sprechen kann.How do you ask politely, with du or Sie?
The question Wo ist die Toilette? needs no du or Sie, so it works with a waiter or a friend. Asking permission does: in someone's home, say Darf ich mal dein Bad benutzen? to a friend, or Ihr Bad to someone you call Sie. The little mal softens a request.
Entschuldigung, wo sind hier die Toiletten?
Excuse me, where are the toilets here?
Darf ich kurz Ihre Toilette benutzen?
May I quickly use your toilet?
Sie: in a shop or at a formal host's home.
Darf ich mal dein Bad benutzen?
Can I use your bathroom?
du: at a friend's place.
Ich muss mal.
I need to go.
Casual; everyone knows where.
The answer is usually a direction. Listen for hinten (at the back), oben (upstairs), unten or die Treppe runter (downstairs), links (left) and rechts (right):
Hinten links.
At the back on the left.
Die Treppe runter, dann die zweite Tür rechts.
Down the stairs, then the second door on the right.
Do you have to pay for toilets in Germany?
Often, yes. Toilets at many railway stations and motorway service areas charge a small fee, usually through a turnstile. Some public toilets have an attendant with a plate for coins by the door; leaving a little change is expected. Cafés and restaurants may reserve their toilets for customers, with a sign saying Nur für Gäste, so buying a coffee first is the polite route.
- Damen (D) = women, Herren (H) = men.
- Besetzt = occupied, frei = vacant.
- Außer Betrieb = out of order.
Asking strangers for help starts with the right opener; Do you speak English? in German covers it, and German travel vocabulary has the station words.
Read the flatshare story on Bergmannstraße at A1 and tap any word to see what it means.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Toilette?
Roughly "toy-LET-teh", with the stress on the middle syllable and a short final e. It comes from French, but Germans say the oi as "oy".
Is Klo rude?
No. It is informal, about as casual as English loo. Fine with friends, family and children; with strangers or in a smart restaurant, Toilette sounds better.
How do you say WC in German?
Say the letters: "veh-TSEH". It is short for water closet, and it is how the toilet is labelled on signs and in flat listings.
Is it auf die Toilette or zur Toilette?
Both are correct. Ich gehe auf die Toilette and Ich gehe zur Toilette both mean I'm going to the toilet. Casually, people say Ich gehe aufs Klo.