баяртай
bajartaj/pa.jər.tʰæː/Cyrillic
Goodbye in Mongolian is баяртай (bajartaj). Wiktionary also lists ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠲᠠᠢ (bayartai).
Meaning: farewell (intj)
Ways to say it
| Mongolian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| баяртай | bajartaj | /pa.jər.tʰæː/ | Cyrillic |
| ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠷᠲᠠᠢ | bayartai |
баяртай is the standard way to say goodbye. While it literally translates to being "with joy," it is used as a general farewell in both formal and informal settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the root баяр, meaning joy or happiness and the suffix -тай, meaning with or possessing.
How do you pronounce it?
The three-syllable word is pronounced /pa.jər.tʰæː/ (bajartaj).
When do people say it?
In Mongolian culture, it is common to shake hands when saying goodbye, especially in formal situations.
Did you know?
- While баяртай is used for leaving, Mongolian has a separate word салаарай specifically for when the person staying is the one saying goodbye to someone who is departing.
- The root word баяр is also the basis for the word for 'festival' in many Mongolian contexts, linking your farewell to the concept of a celebration.
- If you are leaving a group of elders, it is more polite to use specific respectful forms of departure rather than the general баяртай used with peers.
Examples in context
- Баяртай уулзъя.Bayartai uulziya.Goodbye, see you again.
- Баяртай, маргааш уулзъя.Bayartai, margaash uulziya.Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
- За, баяртай.Za, bayartai.Okay, goodbye.
Example conversation
Sarantuya and Bat are finishing their meeting at a cafe.
- Бат BatБи одоо явах ёстой.Bi odoo yavakh yostoi.I have to go now.
- Сарантуя SarantuyaЗа, баяртай даа, Бат!Za, bayartai daa, Bat!Okay, goodbye, Bat!
- Бат BatБаяртай, Сарантуя!Bayartai, Sarantuya!Goodbye, Sarantuya!
- Сарантуя SarantuyaДараа уулзъя.Daraa uulzyya.See you later.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goodbye” translations and entries баяртай, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
