再見 / 再见
zoi³ gin³
In Cantonese, goodbye is expressed as 再見 / 再见 (zoi³ gin³) or 拜拜.
Meaning: farewell (intj)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 再見 / 再见 | zoi³ gin³ |
| 拜拜 |
The phrase is used to express farewell. While 再見 / 再见 is the standard way to say goodbye, the colloquial 拜拜 is common in everyday speech.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 再見 / 再见 literally means 'again see'.
Which one should you use?
再見 / 再见 is a formal and standard expression meaning 'see you again', whereas 拜拜 is a colloquial loanword from the English 'bye bye' used for casual departures.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
再見 / 再见 is more formal, while 拜拜 is the most common way to say goodbye in casual, everyday spoken Cantonese, especially among friends and family.
How do you pronounce it?
zoi³ gin³
Did you know?
- In Hong Kong, it is culturally common to say 下次見 ('see you next time') or simply ask 去邊? ('where are you going?') as a way of acknowledging a departure.
- While 再見 is the standard translation for 'goodbye', Cantonese speakers frequently use 慢走 ('walk slowly') to tell a guest to leave the house safely.
- If you are leaving a group of people, you might say 我行先啦 (ngo5 haang4 sin1 laa1), which literally means 'I go first', instead of using a standard 'goodbye'.
Example sentences for Cantonese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
