便所

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Chinese

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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

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

Pronunciation

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Note: pén-chiò - from Japanese pronunciation.

Noun

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便所

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

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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

Japanese

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Kanji in this term
便
べん
Grade: 4
しょ > じょ
Grade: 3
goon

Etymology

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Appears to be a coinage in Japanese[1] from Middle Chinese-derived roots, as a compound of 便 (ben, convenience, ease, also meaning “bodily waste; bowel movement”) +‎ (sho, place). The sho changes to jo as an instance of rendaku (連濁). Compare English expressions seat of ease, house of ease, also pooper, shitter.

First cited in works from the late 1400s.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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便(べん)(じょ) (benjo

  1. [from late 1400s] (dated) bathroom, restroom, lavatory, toilet
  2. (gambling slang) a pachinko machine one can use leftover balls on.

Usage notes

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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.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 便所”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

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Hanja in this term
便

Noun

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便所 (byeonso) (hangeul 변소)

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