Restrooms

For the most part, restrooms in Korea are identical to restrooms in the U.S. There are a few differences, though.

Urinals

Just so that we're all on the same page, this is a urinal. In the U.S., it's pretty common for them to have automatic sensors. It is in Korea, also. The major difference is that in the U.S., they generally flush when you leave, although sometimes there are "water-free" urinals that don't flush, but instead have some super-scientific smell-reducing thing. In Korea, they flush both when you arrive and when you leave. While it may seem like a good way to keep them clean, actually they usually smell worse here than in America. So I'm not sure what's up with that.


Automatic but-washers

They're real. They're not common, but every once in a while you'll run into them. Yes, there is usually toilet paper there also, so you can choose to opt-out if water squirting at your butt isn't your thing.

I used one once. It was an experience. I'll leave the rest up to the imagination. Google is always there if you want to know more about them.






Toilet Paper

My female friend said that sometimes there' not toilet paper in the Women's restrooms in the subway. I've never had that problem, personally. But there is a rather shocking bit about toilet paper that I've still not really adjusted to.

Next to almost every single toilet that I've seen in Korea is a trash can. And for a while, I just ignored them. I didn't want to ask why they were there. But they're in Every. Single. Bathroom. And they're often filled with used toilet paper. I ended up asking a friend recently, and my suspicions were confirmed. Apparently, it's normal in Korea to throw away your toilet paper in a trash can rather than flushing it. I suppose Korean plumbing systems aren't all designed to handle toilet paper. I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It seems so unsanitary. And some of these trash cans don't even have trash bags. I feel so bad for the old women (and they're always old women) who clean the bathrooms. I'm open to advice on this one. I sure hope that I haven't clogged any toilets yet.

Signs

Alright, this one is pretty funny. So in Korean, the word 화장실 (Hwa jang shir) means both the restroom and the actual toilet. So like 90% of the time, if you see a restroom sign with English written on it, it will say "Toilet." I suppose it's not allll that crazy, but it's just a bit off. A lot of signs here have small grammar mistakes. And some have bigger mistakes. I wonder if there are lots of signs in America with funny translations in other languages.


I've also noticed that Koreans are really creative with their bathrooms signs! Sure, the standard guy/girl sign is common, but a lot of signs have unique, well designed graphics. Here are some examples from the internet.

Soap

So I think that it's safe to say that the public hygiene standards in Korea just aren't what they are in the United States. In most restrooms, there just isn't soap. When there is, it's almost always bar soap. Which is very strange for me. I'm not sure whether it's more sanitary to use it or to avoid it. Sometimes, you'll even see bar soap on a bar! I had no idea that this was a thing. I can't say that I entirely understand the point. I will admit, though, that I have seen liquid soap in a restroom. Once. It really happens, though rarely. I have yet to see an automatic soap dispenser, though, like the ones that are so common in America.

Squatters

These are also not very common, but you might find them in older buildings or in the subway. I've yet to use one yet, but maybe I will before I leave. I think this is significantly less shocking to me than the toilet paper thing. Wow.











So there's a bit about restrooms in Korea. Here are some useful phrases about restrooms.

화장실 (Hwa jang shir) - restroom/toilet
여기에 화장실이 있어요?  (Yeogi-e hwajangshir-i isseoyo?) - Is there a restroom here?
화자실이 어디예요? (Hwajangshir-i eodie-yeyo?) - Where is the restroom?
화장식이 가고 싶어요. (Hwajangshir-i kago shipeoyo) - I want to go to the restroom.

As a note - The characterㅓ is generally transliterated as "eo" (As in Seoul). It's a bit misleading. It's not two sounds, but one. It's not a sound that we really have in English, but it's maybe similar to:
Maud
law
the sound you make when you yawn
"Oh lawd!" (Oh lord!)

I hope you feel like an expert in Korean restrooms.

Adios!