さようなら、愛する人
sayōnara, aisuru hito
The English phrase "goodbye my love" is translated into Japanese as さようなら、愛する人 (sayōnara, aisuru hito).
This phrase is a romantic farewell used when parting from a person one loves. It is most commonly found in song lyrics, literature or highly stylized romantic media rather than in daily spoken Japanese.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The use of さようなら and the noun phrase 愛する人 makes this phrase sound poetic and dramatic rather than conversational.
How does it change in a sentence?
Japanese does not use a possessive pronoun like "my" in this phrase. aisuru hito functions as "the person [I] love".
How do you pronounce it?
sayōnara, aisuru hito
Did you know?
- Japanese has a concept called en (縁) that describes the invisible fate or karmic connection between two people. A romantic farewell often carries an unspoken hope that their en will bring them back together.
- The word さようなら originates from a phrase meaning 'it is that way'. It historically referred to the direction the other person was heading as they departed.
- In Japanese, using さようなら can sometimes imply a permanent separation, such as a breakup or even death, rather than just a temporary 'goodbye'.
Example conversation
A couple is parting ways at a train station.
- 陽太 Yotaもう行く時間だね。Mou iku jikan da ne.It is time to go already.
- 結衣 Yuiええ、寂しくなるわ。Ee, sabishiku naru wa.Yes, I will be lonely.
- 陽太 Yotaさようなら、愛する人。Sayounara, aisuru hito.Goodbye, my love.
- 結衣 Yuiさようなら、陽太。Sayounara, Youta.Goodbye, Youta.
