お手て洗あらい

お

て

あ

ら

い

Meanings

Polite, everyday term for a toilet or washroom. Commonly used in public places and when asking for directions.

Related words

トイレN5
トイレ is a casual loanword for the toilet, while お手洗い is the softer, more polite term often used with strangers or in formal settings.
化け粧しょう室しつ
化粧室 is a formal euphemism seen in department stores and hotels, whereas お手洗い is the everyday polite word used in ordinary conversation.
便べん所じょN2
便所 is a blunt, old-fashioned word for toilet that many speakers avoid, while お手洗い is the preferred polite euphemism.
洗せん面めん所じょN2
お手洗い is a polite, softer way to refer to the same washroom area that 洗面所 describes more plainly.
トイレット
お手洗い is a polite, indirect way to refer to a restroom in public or customer-facing contexts, whereas トイレット is a dated loanword now mostly seen in compounds.

Politeness

手て洗あらいplainN3
お手洗い adds the polite prefix お and is the more common, softer way to say 'restroom', while 手洗い alone is slightly more direct or used in compounds.
便べん所じょplainN2
お手洗い is the polite way to refer to the same facility as 便所, and is preferred when asking someone politely where the restroom is.

Don't confuse with

御手洗みたらしN2
Written identically, 御手洗 read みたらし means the shrine purification font, while 御手洗 read おてあらい is a common polite word for 'restroom' or 'toilet'.
バスルーム
お手洗い is a polite word for the toilet/restroom, while バスルーム refers to the bathing room, which in Japanese homes is usually a separate space.