じゃあね
jā ne
In Japanese, "see ya" is expressed as じゃあね (jā ne).
じゃあね is an informal way to say goodbye to someone you expect to see again. Using this phrase implies a level of familiarity between the speakers.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of じゃあ (jā), which literally means "well then" or "if so".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
じゃあね is an informal expression used primarily among friends, family or peers. For a more formal way to say goodbye when leaving ahead of others, particularly in a workplace setting, you should use お先に失礼します.
How do you pronounce it?
jā ne
When do people say it?
When leaving home, it is common to say 行ってきます (I'm off). In response, the person staying behind can say いってらっしゃい, which means "Take care" or "Have a good day."
Did you know?
- If you are leaving a social gathering and want to be polite, instead of 'see ya', you might say お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu), which literally means 'you are tired' but functions as a way to acknowledge everyone's hard work.
- The word じゃあ is actually a colloquial contraction of the more formal それでは, which functions like 'in that case'.
- Japanese has many words for 'goodbye' that are never used again. For example, さようなら can imply a permanent separation and sounds too heavy for a casual 'see ya'.
Examples in context
- じゃあね！See ya!This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase じゃあね.Tatoeba #778284 by kenken, translation #6884377 by tripbeetle
- じゃあ、またねSee you later.
- じゃあねSee ya
- じゃあね、また明日。jaa ne, mata ashita.See ya, see you tomorrow.
- あ、じゃあね！a, jaa ne!Oh, see ya!
Example conversation
Two friends are leaving a cafe after studying together.
- 陽葵 Himari今日はありがとう。じゃあね。kyou wa arigatou. jaa ne.Thanks for today. See ya.
- 健太 Kentaこちらこそ。じゃあね、陽葵。kochira koso. jaa ne, himari.You too. See ya, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himariまた連絡するね。mata renraku suru ne.I'll contact you again.
- 健太 Kentaうん、待ってるよ。un, matteru yo.Yeah, I'll be waiting.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry じゃあね, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
