Ways to say it
| German | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tschau | /tʃaʊ̯/ | |
| tschüss | /t͡ʃʏs/ | |
| baba | /baˈbaː/ | Austria |
| tschö | /tʃøː/ | Germany, alternative form |
These expressions are all short ways to say goodbye. While the forms provided are generally informal or neutral, you should use Auf Wiedersehen if you need to be formal. If you are speaking to someone on the phone and want to be formal, use Auf Wiederhören which means "until we hear each other again". For more casual or affectionate settings, you might use Tschüssi (bye-bye) or Bis später (see you later) if you expect to see the person again soon. You can also use Mach's gut to mean "take care" or "do well".
Which one should you use?
tschüss is the most common neutral-to-informal way to say bye in most parts of Germany. tschau can sometimes feel slightly more casual than tschüss or may feel influenced by other languages. tschö is simply an alternative spelling of tschüss.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The words tschüss, tschau and baba are informal. For a standard formal way to say goodbye, use Auf Wiedersehen.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Austria, baba is a common informal way to say bye. In Swiss German, you may hear the French loanword Adieu or the expression Uf Wiederluege instead of the standard German Auf Wiedersehen.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃaʊ̯/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Mama, ich gehe zur Schule. Tschüss!Mum, I'm going to school. Bye!This sentence shows how to use tschüss when a child is leaving for school.Tatoeba #10967014 by Yorwba, translation #11378921 by mutskt
- Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann. Tschüss!Father Christmas is coming tomorrow. Bye!This sentence demonstrates using tschüss when mentioning a future event.Tatoeba #683294 by Manfredo, translation #8533239 by sundown
- Tschüss!Bye!This is a simple use of tschüss on its own.Tatoeba #647453 by Hans07, translation #647456 by Hans07
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lukas and Hannah are leaving a cafe after meeting.
- LukasEs war schön, dich zu sehen.It was nice to see you.
- HannahJa, wirklich. Tschau, Lukas!Yes, really. Bye, Lukas!
- LukasTschau, Hannah! Bis bald.Bye, Hannah! See you soon.
- HannahBis dann!See you then!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bye” translations and entries tschau, tschüss, baba, tschö, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries baba, tschau, tschö, tschüss, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
