сау бол
saw bol
Goodbye in Kazakh is said as сау бол (saw bol).
The phrase is used as a farewell.
Meaning: farewell (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, сау бол means 'be healthy' or 'be well'.
Which one should you use?
The form сау бол is the singular imperative, while the form сау болыңыз is the formal or plural imperative.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use сау бол when addressing a single person of equal or lower status, such as a friend or a child. To say goodbye to an elder, a stranger or a group of people, use the polite form сау болыңыз.
How do you pronounce it?
saw bol
Did you know?
- In Kazakh, сау бол can also be used to say 'bless you' after someone sneezes.
- Traditional Kazakh farewells were often deeply religious, frequently involving the names of God or the sky deity 'Täŋir'.
Examples in context
- Сау бол, ертең көріскенше.Sau bol, erten koriskenshe.Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
- Мен кеттім, сау бол!Men kettim, sau bol!I'm leaving, goodbye!
- Жақсы, сау бол.Zhaksy, sau bol.Okay, goodbye.
Example conversation
Arujan and Dauren are finishing a phone call.
- Аружан AruzhanАл, сау бол, Даурен.Al, sau bol, Dauren.Well, goodbye, Dauren.
- Даурен DaurenСау бол, Аружан.Sau bol, Arujan.Goodbye, Arujan.
- Аружан AruzhanКейін хабарлас.Kein khabarlas.Call me later.
- Даурен DaurenЖарайды, сау бол.Zharaydy, sau bol.Alright, goodbye.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry сау бол, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries сау, сау бол, CC BY-SA 4.0.
