Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| さようなら | sayounara | [sa̠jo̞ːna̠ɾa̠] (narrow) |
| またね | mata ne | [ma̠ta̠ ne̞] (narrow) |
| じゃ | ja | [d͡ʑa̠] (narrow) |
| じゃ、また | ja, mata | |
| バイバイ | baibai | [ba̠iba̠i] (narrow) |
While さようなら is the standard dictionary translation for "goodbye," it often carries a sense of finality or distance and is less common in casual daily conversation between friends than other forms.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase またね consists of また (again) and ね (a particle used for emphasis or seeking agreement), literally meaning "again, right?" or "see you again." The phrase じゃ、また is a contraction of "well, again," where じゃ acts as a conversational filler similar to "well" or "then."
Which one should you use?
さようなら is a formal way to say goodbye typically used when you may not see the person again for a long time. For very casual settings or when speaking to children, you can use the English-derived loanword バイバイ.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
さようなら is a formal way to say goodbye. For a very casual or informal departure, you can use またね, じゃ, じゃ、また or the English loanword バイバイ, which is used primarily by children or in very casual settings among close friends. To say "See you" informally, you can also use じゃね.
How do you pronounce it?
sayounara
When do people say it?
If you are leaving a formal gathering, it is common to use 失礼します to mean "I am being rude" or "Excuse me for leaving." If you are parting ways in the evening or someone is going to sleep, おやすみなさい is used specifically to say "Goodnight."
Did you know?
- The word さようなら originally meant 'if it is so' or 'if that is the way it is'. It began as a conjunction before it became a way to say 'goodbye'.
- The word さようなら can feel so final that using it with a close friend or partner might accidentally imply that you are breaking up or never intending to meet again.
- When saying またね, the particle ね is used to seek agreement from the other person, effectively turning the goodbye into a soft question about meeting again.
Examples in context
- さようなら。Good-bye!This sentence shows how to use さようなら.Tatoeba #640569 by arihato, translation #64336 by Zifre
- バイバイ。また遊ぼうね！Bye! Let's do this again!This sentence shows how to use バイバイ.Tatoeba #2980845 by tommy_san, translation #2982209 by Chromatic
- ドイツ語で「さようなら」を何と言いますか。How do you say "good bye" in German?Tatoeba #8533953 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #464137 by maolek
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At the end of a formal school class.
- 美咲 Misaki先生、さようなら。Sensei, sayounara.Goodbye, teacher.
- 陽太 Yotaさようなら、美咲さん。Sayounara, Misaki-san.Goodbye, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太君も、さようなら。Youta-kun mo, sayounara.Goodbye to you too, Youta.
- 陽太 Yotaさようなら。Sayounara.Goodbye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bye” translations and entries さようなら, またね, じゃ, バイバイ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries さようなら, じゃ, またね, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
