Australian Slang For Toilet (Revealed!)

In Australia, toilets are colloquially referred to as the dunny. This is by far the most common term used to refer to the toilet in Australian slang, understood across the country. You’ll also hear broader English language slang terms for toilet, such as loo or bog.

Dunny is one of the more well-known of Australian slang terms, but its history and origin are fascinating nonetheless.

That said, you’re probably just as likely to hear more general slang terms for toilet used in Australia, and not everyone will call a toilet a dunny.

With that said, let’s find out more about Australian slang terms for toilet.

In This Article

Australian Slang For Toilet

What do Australians call the toilet?

Dunny

Australians have a handful of different slang terms for the toilet.

The first, most common, and indeed most uniquely Australian, is dunny or the dunny.

This is used throughout Australia, and any Australian will understand what you mean when you use this term.

They might not necessarily think it was the most polite word to use, but they’ll understand you what you mean!

Most would probably prefer a different word for toilet, though.

Other than dunny, most of the slang terms that Australians use for toilet are also used in other parts of the English speaking world.

Bog

Bog, for example, is a staple Australian slang term for toilet.

Again, it’s used throughout Australia across generations, understood by the old and young alike.

Probably the most polite slang term that Australians use for toilet is loo.

Again, this one is also common in other countries, particularly in the UK.

You’ll hear it a lot in Australia and if you were at all unsure about which term to use, this one is always a good one to stick to.

Thunderbox

There are a few other slang terms you might hear, but which are not very common at all anymore.

These include examples such as the “thunderbox”.

This is an old slang term that was used to describe an outhouse, before indoor plumbing.

I’ll leave you to figure out the meaning of that one for yourself!

Throne Room

The toilet in someone’s home, as opposed to in a public place, is sometimes called a “throne room”.

Though, again, this one just isn’t very common at all.

It’s used mostly among older generations of men, so it is slowly dying out.

Let’s look at the origins of these phrases, then.

Why do Australians say dunny?

Dunny is the most quintessentially Australian slang term on this list, as far as our modern perceptions go.

Interestingly, though, the term had its origins on the other side of the world.

Originally, it comes from the British dialect term “dunnekin”, which literally means an earth closet.

Its composite parts, dung and ken were a mix of Scottish and English dialect.

It was another word for an outhouse.

The etymology of this is uncertain, but it perhaps originated in Old English.

It was in use in Australia as early as the 1840s, and is later attested in the written record in the 1930s.

Australia and Britain shared a lot of trade and it was, at that time, a British colony, so a great deal of British slang spread to Australia during the early days.

Why do Australians say loo?

If you’re in a polite setting, as I said, the best bet for referring to a toilet is “loo”.

This is also the most common slang term for toilet that is used in the UK, too, so the story of its origin in Australian slang is rather similar to the story of the dunny.

The only difference is that the loo is still used in the UK today, whereas dunny is not.

One theory is that the term is originally derived from the French expression guadez l’eau, translating to “watch out for the water”.

This would be something people exclaimed before going to the toilet.

Unfortunately, the truth is that we don’t know for sure where the word loo comes from. It could also originate from the nautical term “lee”, meaning wind is blowing towards land.

In any case, this one, too, seems to have originated in the 19^th Century and spread quickly to Australian slang.

It is a nautical term would certainly make sense here, since anyone who traveled to Australia from Britain was seafaring to some degree.

But we don’t know for sure.

Why do Australians say bog?

Our last one, bog, is an older term, with a much clearer, though still not certain, etymology.

This term dates back at least as far as 1789, and probably at least a few decades prior to that.

It was originally coined because toilets were once simply empty pits built into the earth over which you would do your business.

Often, these would even be specifically located in boggy areas.

While we can’t say for sure when this reached Australia, it’s very likely that it started gaining traction from the earliest time that it became a British colony.

After all, most of the earliest toilets for colonists in Australia would have been this kind of crude “bog” pit!

Toilets aren’t the most polite topic of conversation, and so a lot of slang and vernacular has done its best to come up with softening euphemisms for the toilet itself.

Dunny doesn’t really fit into this category, and is probably not the sort of thing you would use in polite or unfamiliar company.

Nonetheless, it is a very widely known and used slang term, but you’re better off sticking to “loo” in most situations.

Australian Slang Quiz

Australian Slang Quiz (See If You Can Get a Bonza Score!)

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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