baño
everyday, Mexico
In Mexico the everyday word for "bathroom" is baño. On signs and in formal places you will also see sanitario, and in restaurants people sometimes ask for los servicios. It is also called servicios.
Meaning: room with a toilet (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | Note |
|---|---|
| baño | everyday, Mexico |
| sanitario | formal, signs |
| servicios | polite, restaurants |
¿Dónde está el baño? is the question that works everywhere, from a taco stand to a hotel lobby. Baño covers both a full bathroom at home and a public restroom.
Which one should you use?
Sanitario is more formal and common on signs or in schools and offices. Baño is what people actually say out loud.
How does it change in a sentence?
Baño is masculine, so it takes el baño and un baño.
Did you know?
- Many Mexican restaurants and gas stations keep the bathroom key at the counter, so it is common to ask ¿Me presta la llave del baño?
Examples in context
- ¿Dónde está el baño, por favor?Where is the bathroom, please?
- El baño está al fondo a la derecha.The bathroom is at the back on the right.
- Necesito ir al baño.I need to go to the bathroom.
Example conversation
Tom asks a waiter named Miguel for the restroom at a restaurant in Guadalajara.
- TomDisculpe, ¿dónde está el baño?Excuse me, where is the bathroom?
- MiguelAl fondo, junto a la cocina.At the back, next to the kitchen.
- TomMuchas gracias.Thank you very much.
