handkerchief

hand·ker·chief
H4A1N1D2K5E1R1C3H4I1E1F4
UK/ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/UK[ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf]UK/ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃiːf/UK[ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪi̯f]

noun

A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.

“He sneezed into his handkerchief during the meeting.”

Similar
hankypocket handkerchiefhankiehankey
Less commonScrabble 28
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Meanings

nounhandkerchief (plural handkerchiefs or handkerchieves)

plural handkerchiefs · plural handkerchieves · alternative obsolete handkercher

  1. A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.

    He sneezed into his handkerchief during the meeting.

    2 more examples

    Mr. Banks’ panama hat was in one hand, while the other drew a handkerchief across his perspiring brow.

    1913, Robert Barr, chapter 5, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad

    Harriet, who was as a rule good at handkerchiefs, discovered to her annoyance that on this particular morning she had provided herself only with an elegant square of linen, suitable for receiving such rare and joyful drops as might be expected on one’s honeymoon. Peter came to the rescue with what might have been a young flag of truce.

    1937, Dorothy L. Sayers, Busman's Honeymoon

    Synonyms: hanky, pocket handkerchief

  2. A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief or neckcloth.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.

Similar
hankypocket handkerchief

More synonyms by meaning

nouna square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory

Similar
hankiehankyhankey
Broader
piece of clothpiece of material
Also see
hankeyneckerchief

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From hand + kerchief.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans sakdoek
  • sakdoekcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Ancient Greek σουδάριον
  • σουδάριον (soudárion)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Arabic مِنْدِيل, مَحْرَمَة
  • مِنْدِيل (mindīl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • مَحْرَمَة (maḥrama)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Bengali রুমাল
  • রুমাল (rumal)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Bulgarian но́сна къ́рпа, къ́рпичка
  • но́сна къ́рпа (nósna kắrpa)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • къ́рпичка (kắrpička)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Catalan mocador
  • mocadorcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Chinese Mandarin 手帕, 手絹 /手绢
  • 手帕 (shǒupà)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • 手絹 /手绢 (shǒujuàn)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Czech kapesník
  • kapesníkcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Danish lommetørklæde
  • lommetørklædecloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Dutch zakdoek
  • zakdoekcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Esperanto naztuko, poŝtuko
  • naztukocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • poŝtukocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Estonian taskurätik, taskurätt
  • taskurätikcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • taskurättcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Finnish nenäliina
  • nenäliinacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
French mouchoir
  • mouchoircloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
German Taschentuch
  • Taschentuchcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Greek μαντήλι
  • μαντήλι (mantíli)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Hawaiian hinakā
  • hinakācloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Hebrew מִמחָטָה
  • מִמחָטָה (mimkhatá)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Hindi रूमाल
  • रूमाल (rūmāl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Hungarian zsebkendő
  • zsebkendőcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Icelandic vasaklútur
  • vasaklúturcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Indonesian saputangan, kacu
  • saputangancloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • kacucloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • selampaicloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Irish ciarsúr, ciarsúr póca
  • ciarsúrcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • ciarsúr pócacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • naipcín pócacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Italian fazzoletto
  • fazzolettocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Japanese ハンカチ, ハンカチーフ
  • ハンカチ (hankachi)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • ハンカチーフ (hankachīfu)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • 鼻拭き (hanafuki)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Korean 손수건
  • 손수건 (sonsugeon)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Latin sūdārium
  • sūdāriumcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Latvian kabatlakats, kabatlakatiņš
  • kabatlakatscloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • kabatlakatiņšcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • mutautiņšcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Lithuanian nosinė, nosinaitė
  • nosinėcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • nosinaitėcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Malay sapu tangan
  • sapu tangancloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Māori aikiha
  • aikihacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Norwegian Bokmål lommetørkle
  • lommetørklecloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Polish chusteczka do nosa, chusteczka
  • chusteczka do nosacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • chusteczkacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Portuguese lenço
  • lençocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Romanian batistă, năframă
  • batistăcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • năframăcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Russian носово́й плато́к, плато́к
  • носово́й плато́к (nosovój platók)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • плато́к (platók)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • плато́чек (platóček)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Slovak vreckovka
  • vreckovkacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Spanish pañuelo, moquero
  • pañuelocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • moquerocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • mocadorcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Swahili leso, hanchifu
  • lesocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • hanchifucloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Swedish näsduk
  • näsdukcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Tagalog panyo, panyolito
  • panyocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • panyolitocloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Tamil கைக்குட்டை
  • கைக்குட்டை (kaikkuṭṭai)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Thai ผ้าเช็ดหน้า
  • ผ้าเช็ดหน้า (pâa-chét-nâa)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Turkish mendil
  • mendilcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Ukrainian носова́ ху́стка, ху́стка
  • носова́ ху́стка (nosová xústka)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • ху́стка (xústka)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • ху́сточка (xústočka)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Urdu رُومال, دَسْت مال
  • رُومال (rūmāl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • دَسْت مال (dast māl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Vietnamese khăn tay, mùi soa
  • khăn taycloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • mùi soacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • mu-xoacloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Welsh hances, macyn
  • hancescloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • macyncloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • ffunencloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • neisiedcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • cadachcloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Yiddish נאָזטיכל, טיכל
  • נאָזטיכל (noztikhl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
  • טיכל (tikhl)cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands
Cite this entry
APA

handkerchief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handkerchief

MLA

“handkerchief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handkerchief. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “handkerchief,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/handkerchief.

Source: handkerchief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.