chao
/ˈt͡ʃaw/
The English phrase "bye bye" can be translated into Spanish as chao.
chao is an informal way to say goodbye when you are leaving someone, functioning similarly to the English "bye" or the Italian "ciao".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
chao is an informal expression. For other casual ways to say goodbye, you might use Nos vemos to mean "see you" or Hasta pronto to mean "see you soon".
Is it said differently in some regions?
While used in many places, chao is extremely common across Latin America as a casual farewell.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtʃaw/
Did you know?
- The word chao actually shares an unexpected linguistic ancestor with the word 'slave', as both stem from the same root meaning 'servant' or 'one who is subject'.
- Unlike its Italian ancestor ciao, which can be used for both 'hello' and 'goodbye', the Spanish chao is used almost exclusively for leaving.
- While chao is ubiquitous in Latin America, it is much less common in Spain, where people prefer adiós or hasta luego.
Examples in context
- Gracias por tu ayuda. ¡Adiós!Thanks for your help. Goodbye!
- Te llamaré más tarde. ¡Hasta luego!I will call you later. Goodbye (Until later)!
- Espero que disfrutes el evento. Hasta la próxima.I hope you enjoy the event. Goodbye (Until next time).
- Me voy a casa. ¡Adiós, nos vemos mañana!I'm going home. Goodbye, see you tomorrow!
- Fue genial pasar tiempo juntos. Nos vemos el próximo fin de semana.It was great spending time together. See you next weekend.
- Gracias por venir. ¡Hasta pronto!Thank you for coming. See you soon!
- Fue genial verte. ¡Chau!It was great seeing you. Bye!
- Chao, nos vemos mañana.Bye, see you tomorrow.
- ¡Chao! Que tengas un buen día.Bye! Have a good day.
- Chao, te escribo luego.Bye, I'll text you later.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are leaving a coffee shop.
- SofíaMe tengo que ir, chao.I have to go, bye.
- MateoEstá bien, chao Sofía.Alright, bye Sofía.
- Sofía¡Chao, Mateo!Bye, Mateo!
- MateoHasta pronto.See you soon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry chao, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chao, CC BY-SA 4.0.
