tschüss
/t͡ʃʏs/
tschüss is the German way to say goodbye.
tschüss is a common and universal way to say goodbye in German.
Which one should you use?
While tschüss is used for general departures, Auf Wiedersehen is the formal equivalent used in professional or respectful settings. If you are specifically saying goodbye to someone over the phone, you should use Auf Wiederhören instead.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
tschüss is an informal expression, making it suitable for use with friends, family and casual acquaintances. In contrast, Auf Wiedersehen is used in formal situations.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some parts of Germany, especially among younger generations and in more informal settings, you may also hear the word Ciao.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʃʏs/
Did you know?
- Although it is a standard German goodbye, tschüss actually shares a distant lineage with the Spanish 'adiós' and the French 'adieu'.
- In Northern Germany, people may use moin as both a greeting when arriving and as a way to say tschüss when leaving.
- While tschüss is the go-to informal farewell, some speakers use the playful variation tschüssikowski to make the goodbye sound more humorous or affectionate.
Examples in context
- Vielen Dank für Ihren Anruf. Auf Wiederhören!Thank you for your call. Goodbye!
- Wir sehen uns morgen. Tschüss!See you tomorrow. Goodbye!
- Bis später! Tschö!See you later! Bye!
- Ciao, bis später!Bye, see you later!
- Tschüss, bis morgen!Bye, see you tomorrow!
- Tschüss, macht's gut!Bye, take care!
- Einfach nur Tschüss sagen.Just say goodbye.
Example conversation
Lukas and Laura are leaving a coffee shop.
- LukasIch muss jetzt gehen. Tschüss, Laura!I have to go now. Bye, Laura!
- LauraTschüss, Lukas! Schönen Tag noch.Bye, Lukas! Have a nice day.
- LukasDanke, gleichfalls!Thanks, you too!
- LauraBis bald!See you soon!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry tschüss, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tschüss, CC BY-SA 4.0.
