Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| buonanotte | /ˌbwɔ.naˈnɔt.te/ /bwo.naˈnɔt.te/ |
|
| buona notte | alternative form |
The phrase is used strictly as a farewell when someone is going to sleep or leaving for the night. It is not used as a greeting when arriving, which distinguishes it from buona sera. While buona notte is the standard way to say good night, you may also hear the casual notte used among friends or family.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of the feminine singular adjective buona (good) and the feminine singular noun notte (night).
Which one should you use?
The two-word form buona notte is the standard spelling, whereas the single-word form buonanotte is a very common variant used as a fixed interjection or a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˌbwɔ.naˈnɔt.te/. It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
When do people say it?
When wishing someone a good night, you might also use the popular phrase Sogni d'oro, which means "Golden dreams" or the informal Dormi bene, meaning "Sleep well".
Did you know?
- In some contexts, buonanotte can be used sarcastically to end a conversation or dismiss someone, similar to the English phrase 'good day to you' when said with frustration.
- The Italian concept of 'night' is split between sera and notte, where sera covers the time from late afternoon until one actually goes to bed.
- The word notte is a direct descendant of the Latin word nox, which is the same linguistic ancestor for the English word 'night'.
Examples in context
- Buona notte a tutti!Good night, everyone!This sentence shows how to say good night to a group of people using buona notte.Tatoeba #749915 by Guybrush88, translation #1082672 by MUIRIEL
- Buona notte a tutti.Good night, everybody.This sentence is another way to say good night to everyone using buona notte.Tatoeba #5036333 by Guybrush88, translation #4264169 by JFMorais
- Buona notte, dormi bene.Good night, sleep tight.This sentence uses buona notte to wish someone a good night and a good sleep.Tatoeba #1331124 by Guybrush88, translation #64834 by shekitten
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Martina are leaving a friend's house late at night.
- AlessandroGrazie per la serata, buonanotte.Thanks for the evening, good night.
- MartinaGrazie a voi, buonanotte Alessandro.Thanks to you, good night Alessandro.
- AlessandroCi vediamo domani.See you tomorrow.
- MartinaA domani, ciao.See you tomorrow, bye.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “good night” translations and entries buonanotte, buona notte, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buonanotte, notte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
