# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![vomit\_comet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@vomit\_comet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vomit_comet)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/21 "2015-01-19T23:18:30Z")
That’s a smartphone repository. Question, do they not have a trap - i.e. the sewer gas can vent into your living space? ---
**Author:** ![vomit\_comet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@vomit\_comet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vomit_comet)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/22 "2015-01-19T23:22:27Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > 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. Could you not use the ‘normal’ bar toilet like a squat toilet? As a bonus, if there is a tank you could leave an upper decker for having such shoddily cleaned facilities. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/23 "2015-01-20T00:14:15Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > 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? 68? hell it’s the same thing at any age. If you fall on that thing you’ll crack your tail bone. To the op, I wouldn’t call it anything. It’s a hole in the floor where one puts a toilet. ---
**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 20, 2015, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/24 "2015-01-20T01:27:52Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > 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? First, you’ll want to adopt the right squat. A lot of newbies think of a close-kneed, tensed, tip-toed squat, and that isn’t going to work. The squat you need is wide, low, and flat-footed. There are tutorials on the internet, but basically you stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and your feet pointed slightly outwards. Now drop straight down, keeping your knees apart. Your butt should end up about even with your ankles, and your pants will be well out of the line of fire. If you lived someplace with squat toilets, performing this action several times a day would keep those particular muscles strong and limber. But if you are unable to do it for whatever reason, aftermarket seats can be purchased or constructed. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/25 "2015-01-20T01:38:48Z")
> [@GaryM](#): > > Pardon my ignorance, but as a 68 year old male, I’m wondering two things: > > How do I keep from soiling my pants? don’t drop them lower than mid-thigh. > [@](#): > > Who’s going to help me up when I fall backwards onto my butt? that’s your problem 😉 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/26 "2015-01-20T01:42:03Z")
I’d call them a thigh-buster. I’d get a leg cramp in seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/27 "2015-01-20T01:48:05Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > But if you are unable to do it for whatever reason, aftermarket seats can be purchased or constructed. Yes, we call those things toilets. A place to contemplate the Universe as Rodin intended. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/28 "2015-01-20T02:46:05Z")
> [@vomit\_comet](#): > > Could you not use the ‘normal’ bar toilet like a squat toilet? As a bonus, if there is a tank you could leave an upper decker for having such shoddily cleaned facilities. I’ve seen, in bathrooms that have both types of toilets, _footprints_ on the seat toilets seats from people that apparently couldn’t find a squat toilet free but still wanted to do business as usual. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/29 "2015-01-20T03:04:06Z")
I had never even heard of a squat toilet until visiting in Europe. The only one I saw had a large “solid” deposit where your feet are supposed to go. Not ever having seen one, I didn’t look for a hose or a bucket; nor did I have time to search because I had to pee. I just worked around it but ewwwwwwwwww. ---
**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 20, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/30 "2015-01-20T03:14:16Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > First, you’ll want to adopt the right squat. A lot of newbies think of a close-kneed, tensed, tip-toed squat, and that isn’t going to work. The squat you need is wide, low, and flat-footed. There are tutorials on the internet, but basically you stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and your feet pointed slightly outwards. Now drop straight down, keeping your knees apart. Your butt should end up about even with your ankles, and your pants will be well out of the line of fire. > > If you lived someplace with squat toilets, performing this action several times a day would keep those particular muscles strong and limber. But if you are unable to do it for whatever reason, aftermarket seats can be purchased or constructed. Thanks! I guess I’ll need to hit the gym for a while before any southern european trips. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/31 "2015-01-20T04:07:45Z")
Chiming in to confirm that they are called “squat toilets” and quite common in Thailand. As a young buck, it’s what I had in my house when I lived in the North, and it was fine. Today though, I can’t even imagine my rickety old body being able to negotiate one. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_doped](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@straight\_doped](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_doped)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/32 "2015-01-20T04:59:36Z")
where does the magic hole goto? narnia? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/33 "2015-01-20T05:28:33Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I’ve seen things like this advertised in Paleo magazine as “Squatty Potty”. I thought a Squatty Potty was a little bench thing that you put in front of your conventional toilet to put your feet up on, to put you in a similar “squatting” position that’s supposed to be more natural/better for you/easier to do your business. I saw an article about them a while back. ---
**Author:** ![Saturn\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/34 "2015-01-20T06:08:46Z")
> [@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. We call them Japanese-style toilets in Japan because that’s all we had before we had proper plumbing. The ones you sit on we call Western-style toilets. Some places offer both styles because some people don’t like sitting on public toilet seats and/or feel they evacuate “more fully” squatting. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/35 "2015-01-20T23:07:54Z")
A squatloo? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/36 "2015-01-20T23:21:42Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > A squatloo? 400 squatloos on the newcomer! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2015, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/37 "2015-01-20T23:52:37Z")
> [@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. “Turkish toilet” is how I know it. I would obviously understand “squat toilet,” too, but “turkish toilet” is how I’ve generally heard it referred to. But I’ve come to know them in the Balkans and that general area, so that’s why I would be more familiar with the “Turkish” appellation. ---
**Author:** ![vomit\_comet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/73ab20/32.png) [@vomit\_comet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vomit_comet)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/38 "2015-01-21T00:09:31Z")
I wonder if you can get customized ones with faces of, say, not so popular presidents painted on them… ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/39 "2015-01-21T00:36:59Z")
In India it’s called “Indian type” or “low type” as opposed to “Western type,” " high type," or “commode.” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285/40 "2015-01-21T00:53:43Z")
> [@Saturn\_Dreams](#): > > We call them Japanese-style toilets in Japan because that’s all we had before we had proper plumbing. The ones you sit on we call Western-style toilets. Some places offer both styles because some people don’t like sitting on public toilet seats and/or feel they evacuate “more fully” squatting. I don’t know about “more fully” but it does make it easier. we’re pretty much “designed” to squat when dropping a deuce. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-call-this-style-of-toilet-in-english/710285.md?page=3)