خوا حافیز
xwa ḧafîz
Goodbye in Kurdish is خوا حافیز (xwa ḧafîz). Wiktionary also lists خوات لەگەڵ (xwat legell) and oẍir be.
Meaning: farewell (intj)
Ways to say it
| Kurdish | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| خوا حافیز | xwa ḧafîz |
| خوات لەگەڵ | xwat legell |
| oẍir be | |
| xatira te | |
| xwahafîz | |
| xudahafîz |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase خوا حافیز (xwa ḧafîz) literally means 'God protect' or 'May God preserve [you].' The phrase خوات لەگەڵ (xwat legell) literally means 'God be with you.'
Which one should you use?
خوا حافیز is a standard way to say goodbye. In contrast, خوات لەگەڵ focuses more on the sentiment of God accompanying the person.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The more complete and grammatically formal version is خوات لەگەڵ بێت.
How do you pronounce it?
xwa ḧafîz
Did you know?
- Depending on the dialect, you might hear xatira te, which focuses on 'memory'. Rather than asking God to protect the person, it literally asks for the 'memory' or 'recollection' of the person to remain.
- The word حافظ (hafîz) in خوا حافیز refers to a protector or guardian. In a different context, the same word refers to someone who has memorized the entire Quran.
- While خوا حافیز is religious in origin, it is used by Kurds of all faiths and non-believers as a secular cultural convention. It functions more as a social marker than a religious statement.
Examples in context
- خوات لەگەڵ بێت.Goodbye to you.This sentence is useful for practicing the form خوات لەگەڵ.Tatoeba #10371047 by Sarchia, translation #3446474 by pauldhunt
- خوا حافیز بۆ هەمووان.Goodbye to everyone.
- ئێستا دەچم، خوا حافیز.I am leaving now, goodbye.
Example conversation
Rojda and Soran are finishing their meeting at a cafe.
- Rojdaکاتی خۆشی بوو، خوا حافیز.It was a nice time, goodbye.
- Soranمنیش زۆر خۆم دڵخۆش بووم.I was very happy too.
- Rojdaبه‌ئاوەڵاو، خوا حافیز سوران.Alright, goodbye Soran.
- Soranخوات لەگەڵ، ڕۆژدا.Go with God, Rojda.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
