Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 再見 / 再见 | zàijiàn |
| 再會 / 再会 | zàihuì |
| 拜拜 | bàibài, bāibái, báibái |
The primary way to express farewell is through the word 再見 / 再见. Other variations include the formal 再會 / 再会 and the polite colloquialism 拜拜.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 再見 / 再见 literally means 'again see', while 再會 / 再会 literally means 'again meet'.
Which one should you use?
While 再見 / 再见 is the standard way to say goodbye, 再會 / 再会 is more formal and often implies a planned future meeting or a more literary tone.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
再會 / 再会 is a formal way to say goodbye that adds a sense of meeting again in the future. The word 拜拜 is an informal but polite way to say goodbye. It is a colloquial loanword from English and is very common in casual, everyday conversation. A more relaxed and friendly version used among close friends and family is 拜拜啦.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
zàijiàn
Did you know?
- Instead of saying 'goodbye', many Chinese speakers use 'survival phrases' like 慢走, which means 'walk slowly'. This is a polite way of telling the guest to take care on their way home.
- While 拜拜 sounds like the English 'bye-bye', the character 拜 means 'to worship' or 'to bow'. In traditional Chinese culture, this character represents a deep gesture of respect.
- Using 再會 instead of 再見 can make you sound like a character from a historical period drama or an old classic novel.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
