Chinese edit

 
advantageous; cheap; ordinary
advantageous; cheap; ordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; then; so; thus; to relieve oneself
actually; place; (nominalization prefix)
simp. and trad.
(便所)
便

Etymology edit

Wasei kango (和製漢語), orthographically borrowed from Japanese 便(べん)(じょ) (benjo).[1]

Pronunciation edit


Note: pén-chiò - from Japanese pronunciation.

Noun edit

便所

  1. (chiefly Northeastern Mandarin, Taiwanese Hokkien, Taiwanese Hakka) bathroom; restroom; lavatory; toilet
    便所佗位便所佗位 [Hokkien]  ―  Piān-só͘ tī tah-ūi? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  where's the toilet?

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ 汉语外来词词典 [Chinese Loanword Dictionary] (in Chinese), 1984, page 150

Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
便
べん
Grade: 4
しょ > じょ
Grade: 3
on’yomi

Etymology edit

Literally “place for convenience”.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

便(べん)(じょ) (benjo

  1. (dated) bathroom, restroom, lavatory, toilet
  2. (gambling slang) a pachinko machine one can use leftover balls on.

Usage notes edit

While up until the 1970s, this term or the honorific 便所(べんじょ) (o-benjo) was the preferred polite term to refer to a bathroom, it has now been largely replaced with 手洗(てあら) (o-tearai, washroom)—or even トイレ (toire, toilet)—and sounds dated if used.

Synonyms edit

Derived terms edit

References edit

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006) 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean edit

Hanja in this term
便

Noun edit

便所 (byeonso) (hangeul 변소)

  1. Hanja form? of 변소 (bathroom, restroom, lavatory, toilet).