handkerchief / tissue
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handkerchief / tissue
A small cloth or piece of paper used mainly for blowing one's nose, but also for drying tears or small dirty spots.
Bei einer Erkältung sollte man immer ein Päckchen Taschentücher dabeihaben.
When you have a cold, you should always have a pack of tissues with you.
The word is easy to understand if you know its parts: 'die Tasche' (pocket/bag) and 'das Tuch' (cloth). So it is literally a cloth that you carry in your pocket.
Er zog ein sauberes Taschentuch aus seiner Jackentasche.
He pulled a clean handkerchief out of his jacket pocket.
Common verbs used with 'Taschentuch' (handkerchief/tissue) are 'benutzen' (to use), 'brauchen' (to need), 'anbieten' (to offer), or 'reichen' (to hand/pass). It is also often connected with 'sich die Nase putzen' (to blow one's nose).
Kannst du mir bitte ein Taschentuch reichen?
Could you please pass me a tissue?
A distinction is often made between 'Papiertaschentuch' (paper tissue) for single use and 'Stofftaschentuch' (cloth handkerchief) made of cotton. If people just say 'Taschentuch' (handkerchief/tissue), today they usually mean the paper version.
Für den Umweltschutz benutzen manche Leute wieder Stofftaschentücher.
For environmental reasons, some people are using cloth handkerchiefs again.
speed / tissue / tempo
Tempo can be used colloquially to refer to a paper tissue. Taschentuch is the neutral term for a tissue made of paper or cloth. In casual conversation, Tempo is often appropriate, while Taschentuch is always clear and stylistically neutral.
Beim Niesen bat er seinen Freund um ein Taschentuch.
When he sneezed, he asked his friend for a tissue.
Beim Niesen bat er seinen Freund um ein Tempo.
When he sneezed, he asked his friend for a tissue.
