ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ
hǭng nam[hɔːŋ˧˩.nam˥˨]
The Lao word for toilet is ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ (hǭng nam).
ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ refers to a toilet or restroom. In Lao, the word used for 'toilet' is the same as the word used for 'bathroom'.
Meaning: fixture used for urination and defecation (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is a compound of ຫ້ອງ, meaning 'room' and ນ້ຳ, meaning 'water'.
How do you pronounce it?
hǭng nam
Did you know?
- While ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ is the standard term, you may see the word ສຸຂາ on formal signs. This is a loanword from Pali meaning 'place of happiness' or 'ease'.
- In some contexts, referring to the 'water room' can be a more polite way to steer a conversation away from the bluntness of mentioning bodily functions.
- In many Lao households, the 'water room' is a place where you might also find a basin for washing clothes or even a place to store water containers.
Examples in context
- ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ໃສ?hong nam yu sai?Where is the toilet?
- ຂ້ອຍຢາກເຂົ້າຫ້ອງນ້ຳ.khoy yak khao hong nam.I want to go to the toilet.
- ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ທາງຫຼັງຮ້ານ.hong nam yu thang lang han.The toilet is behind the shop.
Example conversation
A guest is asking a host for directions in a house.
- Aຂໍໂທດ, ຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ໃສ?kho thot, hong nam yu sai?Excuse me, where is the toilet?
- Bຫ້ອງນ້ຳຢູ່ເບື້ອງຊ້າຍມືເຈົ້າ.hong nam yu bueang sai mue chao.The toilet is to your left.
- Aຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆ.khop chai lai lai.Thank you very much.
- Bຍິນດີ.yin di.You're welcome.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “toilet” translations and entries ຫ້ອງນ້ຳ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
