čau
/ˈt͡ʃau̯/
In Slovak, 'bye' is expressed using čau. Wiktionary also lists ahoj and baj.
Meaning: short for goodbye (intj)
Ways to say it
| Slovak | IPA |
|---|---|
| čau | /ˈt͡ʃau̯/ |
| ahoj | /aˈɦɔj/ |
| baj |
While čau can be used both to greet someone and to say goodbye, ahoj is also commonly used to say goodbye in informal settings. Additionally, the slang term baj exists as a phonetic loanword from English.
Which one should you use?
ahoj is a common way to say goodbye in an informal setting. čau is an informal way to say goodbye, similar to 'bye' or 'ciao' in English and it serves as both a greeting and a farewell. Finally, baj is considered very informal slang.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For informal situations, you can use ahoj, čau or the slang term baj. In more formal situations, you should use the standard phrase Dovidenia! instead.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈtʃau̯/
When do people say it?
You should use Dovidenia! to say goodbye in most formal situations.
Did you know?
- While ahoj is now a common way to say 'bye', it was popularized as a greeting by the Czech and Slovak scouts to replace formal greetings with a more egalitarian spirit.
- The Slovak greeting and farewell ahoj actually traces its roots back to the English maritime call ahoy.
- Unlike the casual čau or ahoj, the formal goodbye Dovidenia! literally translates to 'until we see each other again'.
Examples in context
- Čau!Bye!This sentence is useful for practicing the form čau.Tatoeba #7583993 by stanyas, translation #647456 by Hans07
- Čau, už musím ísť.Bye, I have to go now.
- Tak čo, čau!So, bye!
Example conversation
Marek and Barbora are leaving a cafe.
- MarekVďaka za kávu, Barbora.Thanks for the coffee, Barbora.
- BarboraRado sa stalo, Marek.You're welcome, Marek.
- MarekDobre, ja už idem. Čau!Okay, I'm going now. Bye!
- BarboraČau, maj sa!Bye, take care!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bye” translations and entries čau, ahoj, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ahoj, čau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
