# What would you call this style of toilet in English? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285 "2015-01-19T15:02:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/1 "2015-01-19T15:02:57Z")
I’m helping someone with a translation, and I’m stuck on this. It’s what in Italian is called “la turca”, a “Turkish” toilet, a style you sometimes see in the south of Europe with two footsteps and a hole in the floor. You squat to do your stuff. Like [this](https://compalesy.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/azzurra_av_turca.jpg). (Don’t worry the picture is of a nice sparkly clean toilet.) What would you call that? A squat toilet? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/2 "2015-01-19T15:05:48Z")
Proper name is squat toilet, I call them a mess. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/3 "2015-01-19T15:08:56Z")
Also known as a squat plate. But in real life, you’ll never see one as clean as in that photo. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/4 "2015-01-19T15:15:07Z")
Only ever having seen a soiled one, I’m still not sure how they work. How are the solids supposed to go anywhere? _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/5 "2015-01-19T15:16:15Z")
Squat toilets are practical and answer the human need to open the pelvis when evacuating the bowel. Unfortunately diarrhea can leave a mess so the best toilets have a short water hose for cleaning. They work very well once you get used to them. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/6 "2015-01-19T15:18:57Z")
I’ve heard them called dive bomber toilets, although I’d say few catalogs list them that way. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/7 "2015-01-19T15:29:26Z")
> [@Ruby](#): > > Only ever having seen a soiled one, I’m still not sure how they work. How are the solids supposed to go anywhere? _shudder_ It will normally either flush, or there will be a hose or bucket of water. What’s so great about Western toilets? With a squat toilet, there is no need to touch a dirty toilet seat, so they are actually superior. I’ll bet some dumb American building code would prohibit replacing my “normal” toilet with one. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/8 "2015-01-19T15:48:35Z")
Squat toilet is the normal word, though Turkish toilet will be understood by English speakers. Poorly maintained public toilets of any type get gnarly. Most of the squat toilets I’ve seen in proviate residences have been perfectly clean. You eventually get good at aiming for the hole, and there is always a hose somewhere to facilitate cleaning of all types. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/9 "2015-01-19T18:27:28Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Squat toilet is the normal word, though Turkish toilet will be understood by English speakers. I’d disagree with that. I’d never even heard of a “Turkish Toilet” before. Squat … well it is kind of obvious what you do. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/10 "2015-01-19T19:02:19Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I’d disagree with that. I’d never even heard of a “Turkish Toilet” before. Squat … well it is kind of obvious what you do. “Squat toilet” and “turkish toilet” are probably the terms I’ve heard before. But I don’t think either term is well recognized by Americans and if the toilet type is important to the translation, a footnote would be helpful explaining what it is. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/11 "2015-01-19T19:35:31Z")
Pardon my ignorance, but as a 68 year old male, I’m wondering two things: How do I keep from soiling my pants? Who’s going to help me up when I fall backwards onto my butt? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/12 "2015-01-19T19:45:56Z")
I’ve seen things like this advertised in Paleo magazine as “Squatty Potty”. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/13 "2015-01-19T21:02:10Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Squat toilet is the normal word, though Turkish toilet will be understood by English speakers. I’ll certainly remember Turkish toilet now, but other than “squat toilet” the only other name I’d heard for them was Japanese toilet. Which I have always thought was odd, because I keep seeing ads for Japanese toilets with heated seats, robotic bidet arms, built-in Google and God knows what else. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/14 "2015-01-19T21:03:27Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > It will normally either flush, or there will be a hose or bucket of water. > What’s so great about Western toilets? With a squat toilet, there is no need to touch a dirty toilet seat, so they are actually superior. > I’ll bet some dumb American building code would prohibit replacing my “normal” toilet with one. I don’t know if this will be good news to you or not: In a typical bathroom, the toilet seat has fewer germs on it than the door handle. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/15 "2015-01-19T22:16:00Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Poorly maintained public toilets of any type get gnarly. Most of the squat toilets I’ve seen in proviate residences have been perfectly clean. You eventually get good at aiming for the hole, and there is always a hose somewhere to facilitate cleaning of all types. I agree. You do get used to them. I used to hate and dread them, but I can now use one when drunk and wearing skinny jeans. I prefer a “normal” toilet if it’s clean, but if the toilet is going to be dirty, I much prefer a squat toilet as they much easier to hover over so you don’t have to touch the dirty parts with anything except the soles of your shoes. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/16 "2015-01-19T22:35:09Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I’ll certainly remember Turkish toilet now, but other than “squat toilet” the only other name I’d heard for them was Japanese toilet. Which I have always thought was odd, because I keep seeing ads for Japanese toilets with heated seats, robotic bidet arms, built-in Google and God knows what else. The first place I saw them was in Japan. (I’ve also seen them in Crete.) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/17 "2015-01-19T22:47:56Z")
Just as an aside, their Hebrew name translates as “Bulls-Eye Toilets”. I’ve used them, and I find the name… apt. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/18 "2015-01-19T22:53:54Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I don’t know if this will be good news to you or not: In a typical bathroom, the toilet seat has fewer germs on it than the door handle. :eek: Sure, but germaphobes do not usually attempt to “hover” over the doorknobs and urinate on them. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/19 "2015-01-19T22:54:49Z")
it’s a 'loose your stuff from your back pocket" toilet. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/20 "2015-01-19T23:03:54Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Sure, but germaphobes do not usually attempt to “hover” over the doorknobs and urinate on them. I’m hardly a germaphobe, but some toilet seats in bars of discos at the end of the night are just gruesome. I might not catch a disease, but I just don’t want other people’s piss and shit on my private parts. :eek: The thing about the doorknobs might be true, but it’s much easier to get those germs off you hands by washing, which is trickier to do with your arse unless there’s some kind of bidet option, which is neither likely nor practical in crowded bars. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285.md?page=2)