toilettes
/twa.lɛt/feminine
The French word for restroom is toilettes.
The term toilettes is used to refer to a public room or facility containing toilets.
Meaning: public room containing a toilet (noun)
Which one should you use?
While les toilettes refers to the facility or the room itself, le WC (pronounced 'vé-cé') is a more direct and slightly more informal way to refer specifically to the toilet or the small room.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word for restroom is almost always used in its plural form, les toilettes.
How do you pronounce it?
/twa.lɛt/
Did you know?
- The word toilettes shares its root with 'toilet', which originally referred to a dressing table or the cloth toile used to cover it.
- In very formal settings, a French speaker might use les cabinets, a term that historically referred to small private rooms or closets.
- While English speakers often use the euphemism 'washroom' or 'restroom' to avoid the word 'toilet', French speakers use toilettes as the standard, polite, and most common term without any sense of vulgarity.
Examples in context
- Où sont les toilettes ?Where's the restroom?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of the restroom.Tatoeba #3946 by TRANG, translation #38932 by CK
- Elle est aux toilettes.She's in the restroom.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is currently in the restroom.Tatoeba #551938 by zmoo, translation #523175 by CK
- Je me baigne dans les toilettes.I bathe myself in the restroom.This sentence is useful for describing an action occurring in the restroom.Tatoeba #1121559 by sacredceltic, translation #1121310 by cntrational
- Excusez-moi, où sont les toilettes s'il vous plaît?Excuse me, where are the restrooms, please?
- Pouvez-vous m'indiquer où se trouvent les WC, s'il vous plaît?Can you please show me where the restrooms are?
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Nathan are at a restaurant.
- ChloéNathan, où sont les toilettes ?Nathan, where are the restrooms?
- NathanElles sont juste à côté de l'entrée.They are right next to the entrance.
- ChloéMerci, je reviens tout de suite.Thank you, I will be right back.
- NathanPas de problème, Chloé.No problem, Chloé.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “restroom” translations and entries toilettes, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
