Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| уви́димся по́зже | uvídimsja pózže |
| уви́димся | uvídimsja |
| до встре́чи | do vstréči |
| пока́ | poká |
| бай-ба́й | baj-báj |
| до свида́ния | do svidánija |
| до ско́рой встре́чи | do skóroj vstréči |
| ча́о | čáo |
These Russian phrases are all used to say goodbye or to express the intent of seeing someone again. While уви́димся по́зже specifically means 'see you later', other forms like пока́ are used as a standard 'bye' or 'see you later' in daily speech.
What does it mean word for word?
The word уви́димся is the first-person plural future tense of the reflexive verb уви́деться, which literally means 'we will see each other'.
Which one should you use?
уви́димся по́зже specifically translates to 'see you later', whereas the shorter уви́димся is a very common way to say 'see you' or 'see you around' in general. If you expect to see the person again very soon, you can use до ско́рой встре́чи, which means 'until we meet again soon'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal settings, such as when speaking to teachers, bosses or strangers, use до свида́ния or до встре́чи. In informal situations with friends and family, use пока́, which is the standard way to say 'bye' among peers. For very casual or playful contexts, especially when speaking to children, you can use the English loanword бай-ба́й. Younger people in urban areas may also use the Italian loanword ча́о as trendy, casual slang.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase до встре́чи is constructed using the preposition до (until) followed by the genitive case of the noun встре́ча (meeting or encounter).
How do you pronounce it?
uvídimsja pózže
Did you know?
- Using до свида́ния to a close friend can be interpreted as a joke or a sign that you are suddenly angry with them because it is too formal.
- While пока́ is now a standard 'bye', it originally functioned as a conjunction meaning 'while' or 'for the time being'.
- If you use the Italian loanword ча́о to say goodbye in Russia, you might sound more like a trendy socialite in a Moscow cafe than a local resident.
Examples in context
- Хорошего дня, уви́димся по́зже.Khoroshego dnya, uvidimsya pozhe.Have a nice day, see you later.
- Я ухожу, уви́димся по́зже.Ya ukhozhú, uvidimsya pózhe.I'm leaving, see you later.
Example conversation
Olga and Alexander are leaving a coffee shop.
- Ольга OlgaМне пора бежать, Александр.Mne pora bezhat', Aleksandr.I have to run, Alexander.
- Александр AleksandrХорошо, уви́димся по́зже, Ольга.Khorosho, uvidimsya pozhe, Ol'ga.Okay, see you later, Olga.
- Ольга OlgaДо завтра!Do zavtra!See you tomorrow!
- Александр AleksandrПока!Poka!Bye!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “see you later” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
