化粧室（けしょうしつ、keshoushitsu）
- powder room

The Japanese word 化粧室 (けしょうしつ) primarily means "restroom," "toilet," or "lavatory." It's a polite and common term used to refer to a place for personal hygiene, especially for using the toilet or freshening up. The term is widely understood in various settings, including public places, businesses, and homes. The kanji 化粧 (けしょう) means "makeup" or "cosmetics," while 室 (しつ) means "room." The combination implies a room where one might apply makeup or attend to personal grooming, which is often associated with the restroom facility.

⚫︎ 化粧室はどこですか？ Translation: Where is the restroom? ⚫︎ トイレは化粧室の近くにあります。 Translation: The toilet is near the restroom. ⚫︎ 化粧室をお借りしてもよろしいですか？ Translation: May I use the restroom?

You can use 化粧室 in various situations to inquire about or refer to the restroom. It's a formal and polite term, suitable for use in public places, when asking for directions, or when requesting to use a restroom at someone's home or business. You can use it regardless of your gender or the gender of the person you are speaking with. It is generally safe to use 化粧室 everywhere.

化粧室 is written primarily with kanji and hiragana. The kanji are 化粧 and 室, and the reading is written in hiragana as けしょうしつ. There is only one common way to write this word. The okurigana (hiragana attached to kanji) is fixed; 室 always uses the hiragana しつ.

⚫︎ トイレ (toire): toilet ⚫︎ お手洗い (おてあらい) : restroom, bathroom (a more polite term) ⚫︎ 便所 (べんじょ) : toilet (more casual or formal depending on context) ⚫︎ WC (daburu-si) : This is an abbreviation for "water closet," imported from English. This is also a polite way to call restroom.

There are no direct antonyms for 化粧室.

すみません、化粧室はどこにありますか？ ・Translation: Excuse me, where is the restroom? ・Explanation: This sentence is a polite way of asking for the location of the restroom. It starts with "すみません" (sumimasen), meaning "excuse me" or "I'm sorry," to show politeness. Then it directly asks about the location of the 化粧室.

このホテルには、きれいな化粧室があります。 ・Translation: This hotel has a clean restroom. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the cleanliness of a restroom in a hotel. It uses the adjective "きれいな" (kirei na), meaning "clean" or "beautiful," to describe the restroom, 化粧室.

The etymology of 化粧室 is straightforward. It is derived from the combination of 化粧 (けしょう), which refers to "makeup" or "cosmetics," and 室 (しつ), meaning "room." The phrase reflects the historical and practical association of restrooms as spaces where individuals could perform personal grooming, including applying makeup or freshening up.