handkerchief

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handkerchief

/ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/ UK
[ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf] UK
/ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃiːf/ UK
[ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪi̯f] UK
/ˈhæŋkɚt͡ʃəf/ US
[ˈhæŋkɚt͡ʃəf] ~ [ˈhæŋkɹ̩t͡ʃəf] US
/ˈheɪ̯ŋkɚt͡ʃəf/ US
[ˈheɪ̯ŋkɚt͡ʃəf] ~ [ˈheɪ̯ŋkɹ̩t͡ʃəf] US
/ˈhɛ̃ŋkɚt͡ʃəf/ US
[ˈhɛ̃ŋkɚt͡ʃəf] ~ [ˈhɛ̃ŋkɹ̩t͡ʃəf] US

Rhymes with -t͡ʃɪf, -t͡ʃiːf

Where it comes from

From hand + kerchief.

noun handkerchiefs · handkerchieves · handkercher

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: hanky, pocket handkerchief
A piece of cloth shaped like a handkerchief to be worn about the neck; a neckerchief or neckcloth.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: hankie, hanky, hankey, scarf, headscarf, hijab, tissue, pocket, pouch, kit, matchbook, pot, waving, casserole, hussy, girl

Translations

Every language

noun cloth for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands

Español	pañuelo, moquero, mocador
한국어	손수건 sonsugeon
日本語	ハンカチ hankachi, ハンカチーフ hankachīfu, 鼻拭き hanafuki
中文	手帕 shǒupà, 手絹 /手绢 shǒujuàn
हिन्दी	रूमाल rūmāl
Kiswahili	leso, hanchifu
Português	lenço
Français	mouchoir
Deutsch	Taschentuch
Italiano	fazzoletto
Ελληνικά	μαντήλι mantíli
Română	batistă, năframă
Русский	носово́й плато́к nosovój platók, плато́к platók, плато́чек platóček
Tiếng Việt	khăn tay, mùi soa, mu-xoa
العربية	مِنْدِيل mindīl, مَحْرَمَة maḥrama
עברית	מִמחָטָה mimkhatá

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MLA

"handkerchief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/handkerchief. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

handkerchief. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/handkerchief

Chicago

"handkerchief." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/handkerchief.

BibTeX

@misc{handkerchief_2026,
  title = {handkerchief},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/handkerchief},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}