Bidet terminology is a mess. One shop says washlet, another says shattaf, a friend calls it a bum gun, and they may all mean different products. Shopping gets confusing fast, so here is a plain decoder for the words you will meet on product pages.
Start with the word itself. Merriam-Webster defines a bidet as a fixture for washing the genital and anal area. It comes from French, where it first meant “small horse.” Yes, really.
Bidet Terminology: Washlet, Shattaf, Jet Spray: What They Mean
Washlet
Washlet is a brand name that turned into an everyday word. TOTO launched the first one in Japan in 1980, and KBB Online says the name blends “Let’s Wash” and is a registered trademark. TOTO calls it an electronic bidet seat. Plenty of people now use the word for any bidet seat, and Wiktionary notes that colloquial use. If you want TOTO’s product, look for the capital-W version.
Shattaf
Shattaf comes from Arabic and means roughly “hand shower rinser,” per Wikipedia’s bidet shower entry. It is a small hand-held sprayer on a hose that sits beside the toilet. The same page says a Dubai company, Danube Group, helped popularise the name in the early 1990s. You will see it across much of the Arab world and Asia.
Jet spray
Jet spray is one more English name for that same hose-and-trigger sprayer. If a listing says jet spray, check the photo. A hose and a trigger means a handheld unit. A flat attachment under the seat is something else.
Bidet Types: Attachment, Seat, Sprayer, Toilet
These are the product names that matter when you buy. Definitions follow Architecture Lab’s guide to bidet types.
- Bidet attachment: a non-electric add-on that sits between the bowl and the seat. It uses the toilet’s water supply and a side knob.
- Bidet seat: replaces your toilet seat. Electric versions add heated water, a warm seat or a dryer.
- Handheld bidet: the hose-and-trigger sprayer you aim by hand. Same thing as the shattaf.
- Bidet toilet: one electric unit that is both toilet and bidet. It needs an outlet and professional installation.
- Portable bidet: a refillable bottle or battery-powered device for travel.
- Standalone bidet: the classic basin beside the toilet, with its own plumbing and floor space.
Price gives a quick sense of the gap. The same guide puts attachments from around $30 and electric seats at $200 to $600.
Spray Settings and Feature Terms
Spec sheets love jargon. Here is what the common words promise, based on Bio Bidet’s spray guide:
- Oscillating wash: the nozzle moves back and forth to cover a wider rear area.
- Aerated wash: bubbles mixed into the water for a softer feel. It is suggested for sensitive skin.
- Pulsating wash: rhythmic pressure, sold as a massage setting.
- Vortex or turbo wash: the strongest stream, steady and high pressure.
Some claims here, like easing constipation, come from the seller, so treat them as marketing.
A few more terms show up on the box. A dual nozzle means separate rear and front (feminine) wash nozzles. A self-cleaning nozzle rinses itself, and Bio Bidet’s troubleshooting guide tells you to run that mode first when a nozzle clogs. An occupant sensor stops the spray unless someone is seated. The T-valve is the little fitting on your toilet’s water line that splits the supply between the tank and the bidet. If it leaks, the usual cause per the same guide is a missing or badly seated rubber seal.
Other Names for the Handheld Sprayer
The hose-and-trigger sprayer has more nicknames than any other bidet. Wikipedia lists bum gun, bum shower, health faucet, commode shower, toilet shower, bidet spray, hand shower and muslim shower, which it ties to Pakistan. Same device, different label.
It is common in the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South America and North Africa, and also in some European countries like Finland and Estonia, so the names vary by where you shop. If a seller uses a word you don’t know, search the photo, not the name.
Conclusion
Bidet terminology sounds harder than the products are. Washlet is a TOTO brand people use loosely, shattaf, jet spray and bum gun usually mean the handheld sprayer, and attachment, seat and toilet describe how much you want to install. Match the word to a photo and a price, and you will buy the right thing.