Why Do Koreans Put Toilet Paper on the Dining Table?

If you’ve been to Korea, you might have seen toilet paper casually sitting on a dining table. You can easily see Koreans using toilet paper as a tissue in restaurants and households.

Many Koreans wipe their mouth and blow their nose with toilet paper.

This toilet paper is hanging on the ceiling of the restaurant.

Some travelers from different countries get shocked to see toilet paper not in the restroom, but in the restaurant. To understand this culture, we need to talk about what ‘toilet paper’ is called in Korean.

What is ‘toilet paper’ in Korean?

두루마리 휴지 or simply 휴지

– 두루마리 means a scroll.
– 휴지 means a tissue or toilet paper.

Toilet paper is referred to as a rolled up tissue in Korean.

Even though napkins, tissues, and toilet papers have their own Korean names, 냅킨, 화장지, and 두루마리 휴지 respectively, many Koreans usually go with the word 휴지 to refer any of these three.

So, when someone says “Hand me over 휴지”, there are three options (napkin, tissue, toilet paper) you can choose in Korea!

???? Question for UoH Friends :

✔️ What are some things in your country that might shock travelers from other countries?