What is the difference between tissue and napkin

It has become so common, that we often call ALL brands Kleenex, even if it is a different brand. We do NOT use these as napkins at the kitchen table for wiping your hands as many Asian cultures do.

For Americans, a napkin to wipe your hands is different from a tissue to blow your nose. We also do not use these for cleaning up spills unless there is nothing else around.

Tissues are not good at absorbing liquid. We also do not use toilet paper for cleaning up spills unless there is nothing else useful nearby. You can often find 2 or 3 different sizes of paper towels. The typical size is a bit bigger than a normal sheet of scrap paper. However, many brands sell options with a half sheet size — the same height, but half the width. Paper towels are made to be absorbent.

Paper towels are best for wiping up spills. Many people often use them for cleaning. I, personally, use them for cleaning the kitchen, the bathroom, and even for wiping off the table or cleaning mirrors. This is when the smaller sizes come in handy! Napkins like this are usually used at the kitchen table during a meal.

Most nice restaurants use cloth napkins. Some people also use them in their home for a special occasion or an unusually nice dinner. It is also an unspoken and generally accepted table rule to place your cloth napkin in your lap during the meal.

English US. Spanish Spain. Question about English UK. What is the difference between napkin and tissue? Feel free to just provide example sentences. Report copyright infringement. The owner of it will not be notified. Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer. Read more comments. English UK. Create a free Team What is Teams?

Learn more. Asked 9 years, 3 months ago. Active 6 years, 9 months ago. Viewed 85k times. Improve this question. Filip Spiridonov Filip Spiridonov 2 2 gold badges 4 4 silver badges 12 12 bronze badges. What do they use the word tissue for? And most Chinese people speak in Mandarin or some such, not in English. So what people are you talking about?

I'm surprised that you couldn't understand what they were talking about. May I ask what the actual situation was? Did a Chinese person ask you for some tissue or what happened?

Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Of course, this is subject to interpretation, and it may be regional, but here is what first pops into my mind when I hear those two words: Napkins are used to, say, clean barbecue sauce off my fingers or cheeks; tissues are used to blow my nose although, in a pinch, I could use one in place of the other. Improve this answer. Community Bot 1. Chris Chris 4 4 silver badges 4 4 bronze badges.

Does that mean that tissue is basically the same, just smaller and thinner? Barrie England Barrie England k 10 10 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Bathroom tissue?