Serviette is the most common way to say “towel” in French. But there are several other options, depending on the context.

As you learn French, you might find yourself needing a towel at the beach, in the kitchen, or after a shower, and you’ll want to know exactly what to ask for!

Let’s look at nine common ways to say “towel” for every situation in French!

1. The standard 'towel' – une serviette

Une serviette is the most common and versatile French word for "towel". It is a feminine noun, so you will always see it with feminine articles like une or la.

Here's the most important thing to know: une serviette can mean both "towel" and "napkin". This is a classic point of confusion for French learners, but don't worry, the context almost always makes the meaning obvious.

The location is your biggest clue. If you are in a salle de bain (bathroom), une serviette refers to a towel for drying yourself. If you are at a dinner table (à table), it refers to a napkin for wiping your mouth and hands.

To be perfectly clear, French speakers often add a word to specify the type of serviette. Common examples include:

• une serviette de bain: a bath towel
• une serviette de plage: a beach towel
• une serviette de table: a table napkin
• une serviette en papier: a paper napkin

While serviette is very common, for a kitchen or dish towel, the correct term is un torchon. For a small hand towel, you might also hear un essuie-mains.

💡 * J'ai besoin d'une serviette propre pour prendre ma douche. (I need a clean towel to take my shower.)

• Le serveur a mis une fourchette et une serviette sur la table. (The waiter put a fork and a napkin on the table.)
• N'oublie pas ta serviette de plage avant d'aller à la mer ! (Don't forget your beach towel before going to the sea!)
• Il s'essuya les mains avec une serviette en papier. (He wiped his hands with a paper napkin.)

The 'bath towel' – un drap de bain

The 'bath towel' – un drap de bain

Literally translating to a “bath sheet,” the term un drap de bain is the most specific way to refer to a large towel used for drying off after a bath or shower. The word drap means “sheet” (like for a bed), which helps emphasize the large size of the towel.

You might wonder why you wouldn't just use the word une serviette (a towel). While technically correct, une serviette is a general term. It could refer to a small hand towel (une serviette à mains) or even a paper napkin (une serviette en papier).

Using un drap de bain removes all ambiguity. If you're a guest in a French home and ask for une serviette for your shower, you might be handed a small guest towel. Asking for un drap de bain ensures you get the large, absorbent towel you're expecting.

This is also the term you'll see used in department stores or online when shopping for bath linens. Understanding this vocabulary is essential for distinguishing between different types and sizes of towels for sale.

💡 * J'ai besoin d'un drap de bain propre pour ma douche.

• Peux-tu me passer un drap de bain, s'il te plaît ?
• Les nouveaux draps de bain sont très doux et absorbants.
• Il a laissé son drap de bain mouillé sur le lit.

The 'hand towel' – un essuie-mains

When you need to refer to a 'hand towel' in French, the most precise term is un essuie-mains. This is the word you'll commonly hear and see in homes, hotels, and public restrooms.

The term is a compound noun that literally translates to 'hand-wiper'. It's formed from the verb essuyer (to wipe/dry) and the noun mains (hands). Understanding this structure makes the word very easy to remember.

Un essuie-mains is a masculine noun. Interestingly, its spelling is invariable, meaning it stays the same for both singular and plural forms. You say un essuie-mains for one, and des essuie-mains for more than one.

This word is versatile and can describe either a small cloth towel for drying hands in a bathroom or a disposable paper towel from a dispenser. The context usually clarifies which type is meant.

Be careful not to confuse un essuie-mains with other household linens. A dish towel used for drying dishes is called un torchon, and a large bath towel is une serviette de bain.

💡 * Peux-tu me passer un essuie-mains propre, s'il te plaît ? (Can you pass me a clean hand towel, please?)

• Il n'y a plus d'essuie-mains en papier dans les toilettes. (There are no more paper hand towels in the restroom.)
• J'ai acheté de jolis essuie-mains pour la salle de bain des invités. (I bought some nice hand towels for the guest bathroom.)
• Sèche-toi les mains avec l'essuie-mains à côté du lavabo. (Dry your hands with the hand towel next to the sink.)

The 'beach towel' – une serviette de plage

The French term for a ‘beach towel’ is une serviette de plage.

This phrase is composed of two parts: une serviette, meaning 'a towel', and de plage, which translates to 'of the beach'. Together, it literally means 'a towel of the beach'.

The noun serviette is feminine, hence it is preceded by the feminine article une. Any adjectives describing it must also be in the feminine form, such as une grande serviette de plage (a big beach towel).

Specifying de plage is crucial. Using une serviette alone is ambiguous and could refer to a bath towel (une serviette de bain) or even a table napkin (une serviette de table).

💡 * J'ai besoin d'une nouvelle serviette de plage pour les vacances. (I need a new beach towel for the vacation.)

• Où as-tu mis ma serviette de plage ? (Where did you put my beach towel?)
• Cette serviette de plage est encore mouillée. (This beach towel is still wet.)
• N'oublie pas la crème solaire et ta serviette de plage ! (Don't forget the sunscreen and your beach towel!)

The 'dish towel' or 'tea towel' – un torchon

The 'dish towel' or 'tea towel' – un torchon

Un torchon is the common French term for a dish towel, tea towel, or general-purpose kitchen cloth. It's used for drying dishes, wiping counters, or cleaning up spills.

This is a standard, everyday word used in all contexts, from family kitchens to professional restaurants. It's a fundamental vocabulary item for anyone living in a French-speaking environment.

Beyond the kitchen, torchon appears in idioms. The expression 'un coup de torchon' literally means 'a wipe with a cloth,' but figuratively it means 'a clean sweep' or 'a major clear-out,' often used when firing many people from a company or removing political opponents.

Another well-known idiom is 'mélanger les torchons et les serviettes' (to mix the dish towels and the napkins). This expression means to mix things or people that are of different qualities or social classes and should be kept separate.

In summary, while un torchon is a simple household object, its use in common expressions makes it a versatile and culturally significant word to learn for mastering everyday French.

💡 * Passe-moi le torchon, s'il te plaît, j'ai renversé de l'eau. (Pass me the dish towel, please, I spilled some water.)

• Ces torchons sont sales, il faut les mettre à la machine à laver. (These dish towels are dirty, they need to be put in the washing machine.)
• Le nouveau directeur a mis un sacré coup de torchon dans le service. (The new director made a major clean sweep in the department.)
• Il ne faut pas mélanger les torchons et les serviettes en invitant ces deux familles en même temps. (You shouldn't mix incompatible groups by inviting these two families at the same time.)

The 'washcloth' – un gant de toilette

In France, the standard term for a 'washcloth' is un gant de toilette. Translated literally, this means 'a toilet glove' or 'a washing glove,' which hints at its distinct form.

Unlike the typical square cloth, a gant de toilette is a small, mitt-shaped pouch that you slip your hand into. This design is extremely common in France and is used for washing oneself in the shower or bath.

The gant de toilette is a staple in most French households. While not always provided in hotels, it's a fundamental personal hygiene item for many French people, representing a small but interesting cultural difference in daily routines.

If you are specifically referring to a flat, square washcloth, the term is less standardized in France. However, in Québec, the word une débarbouillette is the common term for this item.

💡 * J'ai oublié mon gant de toilette à la maison. (I forgot my washcloth at home.)

• Peux-tu me passer un gant de toilette propre, s'il te plaît ? (Can you pass me a clean washcloth, please?)
• Les enfants se lavent avec un gant de toilette. (The children wash themselves with a washcloth.)
• En France, il est courant d'utiliser un gant de toilette pour sa douche. (In France, it's common to use a washcloth for your shower.)

The 'bathrobe' (a wearable towel) – un peignoir

The French word for a 'bathrobe,' the absorbent robe you wear after a bath or shower, is un peignoir. It is a masculine noun, so you always use un or le with it.

Interestingly, the word peignoir comes from the verb peigner, which means 'to comb,' as it was historically an item of clothing worn while combing one's hair or grooming. Today, it's primarily associated with getting out of the shower, a pool, or a spa.

Be careful not to confuse un peignoir with une robe de chambre (a dressing gown). A peignoir is made of towel-like material for drying off, whereas a robe de chambre is typically made of silk, flannel, or fleece and is worn for warmth over pajamas.

💡 * Après sa douche, il a mis son peignoir. (After his shower, he put on his bathrobe.)

• J'ai besoin d'acheter un nouveau peignoir pour la piscine. (I need to buy a new bathrobe for the pool.)
• L'hôtel de luxe fournissait des peignoirs blancs et moelleux à ses clients. (The luxury hotel provided soft, white bathrobes to its guests.)

The 'paper towel' – un essuie-tout

The 'paper towel' – un essuie-tout

Let's break down this very descriptive compound noun. It's formed from the verb essuyer (to wipe) and the word tout (all/everything). So, it literally means a 'wipe-all' or 'wipe-everything', which perfectly explains its purpose!

Un essuie-tout is the standard, everyday term for a paper towel in France. You will find it on any shopping list (liste de courses) and in every kitchen. It is a masculine noun, so you would say le or un essuie-tout.

In France, you might also hear people ask for du Sopalin. Sopalin is a popular brand of paper towels, and its name has become a generic term, much like 'Kleenex' is used for tissues in English. While widely understood, un essuie-tout remains the technically correct term.

💡 * Peux-tu me passer l'essuie-tout, s'il te plaît ? (Can you pass me the paper towel, please?)

• J'ai renversé mon café, j'ai besoin d'un essuie-tout. (I spilled my coffee, I need a paper towel.)
• Il faut rajouter de l'essuie-tout sur la liste de courses. (We need to add paper towels to the shopping list.)

1. The 'napkin' (for the table) – une serviette de table

When you are referring to a napkin used for dining, the most specific French term is une serviette de table. This literally means 'a napkin of the table'. Breaking it down, une serviette is the general word for a napkin or towel, and the qualifier de table specifies its use for dining.

While une serviette de table is the full, correct term, in the context of a meal, you can often just say une serviette. If you are sitting in a restaurant and ask for une serviette, everyone will understand you mean a table napkin. You use the full phrase serviette de table when you need to be precise and distinguish it from, for example, a bath towel (une serviette de bain).

To be even more descriptive, you can specify the material. A paper napkin is called une serviette en papier, and a cloth napkin is une serviette en tissu. This is very useful vocabulary, especially when shopping for home goods or dining out.

💡 * Pourrais-je avoir une serviette de table, s'il vous plaît ? (Could I have a table napkin, please?)

• Il a mis sa serviette sur ses genoux avant de manger. (He put his napkin on his lap before eating.)
• Nous n'avons plus de serviettes en papier. (We are out of paper napkins.)
• Les serviettes en tissu sont assorties à la nappe. (The cloth napkins match the tablecloth.)

Are there other ways to say 'towel' in French?

Are there other ways to say 'towel' in French?

Our list features the most common and essential words for 'towel' in French, from the versatile serviette to the specific drap de bain. However, the French language is rich with specialized terms, regional variations, and even brand-specific names you might come across.

You can expand your vocabulary by doing an online search for terms like “comment dire ‘beach towel’ en français” or by looking up words for related items like torchon (dish towel) or essuie-mains (hand towel).

When you discover a new synonym or a related word, be sure to check its context. Is it used for the kitchen, the bathroom, or sports? Understanding the specific situation will help you use the word correctly and sound more natural.

Keep an eye out as you browse French online stores, read novels, or watch French TV shows. You'll start to notice these words in their natural habitat, which is one of the best ways to reinforce your learning and understand cultural nuances.

For a deeper dive into household vocabulary, a great resource is the WordReference entry for serviette. You'll find compound terms and discussions that can help clarify any confusion.

I hope this guide has been helpful! Mastering everyday vocabulary is a huge step toward fluency. While perhaps not as poetic as a quote about friendship, knowing the right word for a towel is incredibly practical. Bonne chance with your French learning journey!