How to Say Goodbye in 111 Different Languages
“Hello” is usually the first thing we learn to say in other languages.
But knowing how to say “goodbye” is just as important. How else can you slip out of an awkward interaction without seeming rude?
It’s never too early to learn how to say goodbye.
Contents
How to Say Goodbye in 12 Common Languages
Below are some key phrases for saying goodbye in some of the world’s most popular languages. Each set of phrases is accompanied by a video that you can watch for more context and pronunciation.
Arabic: مع السلامة (ma’assalama)
As the entertaining video below from LearnArabicwithMaha explains, مع السلامة (ma’assalama) is a formal, polite way of saying goodbye. Maha mentions a “spoken” variation of ma’assalame—as with Arabic in general, pronunciation and usage can differ between dialects.
A common, informal way to say “bye” that’s likely to be more comfortable for English speakers is يلا باي (yalla bye), which you’ll notice actually uses the word “bye.”
Cantonese: 再見 (zài jiàn)
In Cantonese, you can use 拜拜 (bái bái) for a casual “bye,” which sounds like the English “bye-bye.” However, note that while the written syllables look the same, they’re pronounced in different tones.
再見 (zài jiàn) is a more formal way to say “goodbye,” and 遲啲見 (chí dī jiàn) is like “see you later.”
French: au revoir
Au revoir is one common, polite way to say “goodbye” in French, but there are many other ways! Salut, which can also be “hi,” is an informal way to say “bye.”
You can also check out this post on more ways to say goodbye in French to expand your repertoire.
German: auf wiedersehen
There are a ton of ways to say goodbye in German, but here are just a couple.
Tschüss is a common, informal way of saying “goodbye” in German. Auf Wiedersehen is a more formal goodbye that’s used less often.
Italian: arrivederci
You probably already know at least one of these. Ciao is the casual way of saying goodbye (or hello), while arrivederci is the formal equivalent.
It’s worth mentioning that ciao, like the English “bye,” has become very international, with some other languages having adopted their own spellings of it. You could probably often get away with using it in a random location informally, as people tend to know what it means.
So if you want to learn Italian, distinguish yourself from the pack early on by loading up on some basic but lesser-known Italian phrases.
Japanese: しつれいします (shitsurei shimasu)
Stop using sayounara. Yeah, I know Google Translate told you to, but as Misa points out in the video below, not only are you probably pronouncing it wrong, but you’re likely using it incorrectly and confusing people. In any case, there are other ways to say goodbye in Japanese that are much more common.
Instead, you could use またね (mata ne — see you later) or じゃあね (jaa ne — see you) as an informal way of saying goodbye to friends.
In a more formal situation, you can use しつれいします (shitsurei shimasu), which is a polite way of excusing yourself.
Korean: 안녕 (an-young)
In Korean, you can use 안녕 (an-young) as an informal way of saying “hi” or “bye” to close friends and family and those younger than you.
For a more polite goodbye, you can say 안녕히 계세요 (an-nyeong-hi-gye-se-yo) if you’re the one leaving and 안녕히 가세요 (an-nyeong-hi-ga-sae-yo) if you’re the one staying. You can see many other ways to say goodbye in Korean on this blog.
Mandarin: 再见 (zàijiàn)
再见 (zàijiàn) is goodbye in Mandarin Chinese. The video below goes into detail about the character construction and meaning.
In this video below, you can hear another pronunciation example of 再見, only you’ll notice it’s written a little differently here. This is just the difference between traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese.
Polish: do widzenia
In the video below, Marzena explains that do widzenia is a versatile expression for “goodbye” in Polish. You can use dobranoc to say “good night” or do zobaczenia to say “see you” in informal situations.
Portuguese: adeus
Adeus is a formal way to say goodbye. This term has a certain finality to it, so you’ll want to be careful how you use it.
An informal way to say goodbye is tchau, like the Italian ciao, though it tends to be used with a softer “s” sound in Portugal.
While the video below is from a European Portuguese learning channel, it outlines the differences in speech between Brazil and Portugal.
Russian: до свидания (do svidaniya)
In this video from Cafe Russian, we learn some ways to say goodbye, including the more polite до свидания (do svidaniya) and the casual пока (poka). The difference between formal and informal is a pretty big deal in Russian, so make sure to brush up on this if you want to learn it.
There’s also, once again, чао (chao) from the Italian ciao, but as the video notes, чао in Russian can’t be used to say hello, only goodbye.
Spanish: adiós
A common phrase for goodbye in Spanish is hasta luego, which can be used like “see you later.” Adiós is another common and versatile goodbye you’ve probably heard.
If you want some more tips on goodbye expressions, including why you may want to think twice before using the pop culture phenomenon hasta la vista, check out the Butterfly Spanish video below.
Goodbye in 94 Languages Around the World
Language | Formal Goodbye | English Reading | Informal Goodbye | English Reading |
---|---|---|---|---|
Afrikaans | Totsiens | Toht-see-ens | Totsiens | Toht-see-ens |
Albanian | Mirupafshim | Mee-roo-pahf-sheem | Mirupafshim | Mee-roo-pahf-sheem |
Amharic | ውላድ (Wǝlad) | Wuh-lahd | ውላድ (Wǝlad) | Wuh-lahd |
Arabic | مع السلامة (Ma'a al-salama) | Mah al-sah-lah-mah | مع السلامة (Ma'a al-salama) | Mah al-sah-lah-mah |
Armenian | Ցտեսնություն (Tsetsnut'yun) | Tsets-noo-toon | Ցտեսնություն (Tsetsnut'yun) | Tsets-noo-toon |
Azerbaijani | Salam | Sah-lahm | Salam | Sah-lahm |
Basque | Agur | Ah-goor | Agur | Ah-goor |
Belarusian | Да пабачэння (Da pabachennia) | Da pah-bah-chehn-nya | Да пабачэння (Da pabachennia) | Da pah-bah-chehn-nya |
Bengali | বিদায় (Bidāẏa) | Bee-da-ya | বিদায় (Bidāẏa) | Bee-da-ya |
Bosnian | Doviđenja | Doh-vee-jen-yah | Zdravo | Zdrah-vo |
Bulgarian | Довиждане (Dovizhdane) | Doh-veezh-dah-neh | Чао (Chao) | Chao |
Burmese | တောင်းဆို (Taung su) | Tau-ng soo | မနက္ခုန် (Mingalaba) | Min-gah-lah-ba |
Catalan | Adeu | Ah-day-oo | Adeu | Ah-day-oo |
Cebuano | Hasta luego | Hass-tah lway-go | Adios | Ah-dee-oss |
Chinese (Simplified) | 再见 (Zàijiàn) | Zai-jee-en | 拜拜 (Bàibai) | Bye-bye |
Croatian | Doviđenja | Doh-vee-jen-yah | Bok | Bok |
Czech | Na shledanou | Na-shle-dah-noh | Ahoj | Ah-hoy |
Danish | Farvel | Fah-vel | Hej hej | Hay hay |
Dutch | Vaarwel | Var-vell | Tot ziens | Tott zeens |
Estonian | Nägemist | Nah-ge-mist | Hüvasti | Hyoo-vahs-tee |
Filipino | Paalam | Pah-ah-lahm | Sige | See-ge |
Finnish | Näkemiin | Nah-keh-meen | Hei hei | Hay hay |
French | Au revoir | Oh reh-vwah | Salut | Sah-loo |
Galician | Adeus | Ah-deh-oosh | Agora | Ah-go-rah |
Georgian | ნახვევი ვერ (Nakhvevi ver) | Nakh-veh-vee vehr | ნახვევი ვერ (Nakhvevi ver) | Nakh-veh-vee vehr |
German | Auf Wiedersehen | Owf vee-der-zay-en | Tschüss | Chuess |
Greek | Αντίο (Antío) | Ahn-tee-oh | Γειά σας (Yia sas) | Yee-ah sahss |
Gujarati | આવજો (Aavjo) | Ahv-joh | બાય (Bye) | Bye |
Haitian Creole | Zòrèy | Zo-rey | Pa pozew | Pa po-zey |
Hausa | Sai anjima | Sahi ahn-jee-mah | Sai anjima | Sahi ahn-jee-mah |
Hebrew | להתראות (Lehitraot) | Leh-hee-tra-ote | שלום (Shalom) | Sha-lohm |
Hindi | नमस्ते (Namaste) | Nah-mahs-tay | अलविदा (Alvida) | Al-vee-dah |
Hungarian | Viszontlátásra | Vee-sont-la-tash-rah | Szia | See-ah |
Icelandic | Bless | Blehss | Vertu blessaður | Vehr-too blehss-ah-thur |
Igbo | Kachifo | Kah-chee-foh | Kedu | Kay-doo |
Indonesian | Selamat tinggal | Suh-lah-maht teeng-gahl | Selamat jalan | Suh-lah-maht jah-lahn |
Irish | Slán leat | Slaan lyat | Slán go fóill | Slaan goh foyle |
Italian | Arrivederci | Ah-ree-veh-dehr-chee | Ciao | Chao |
Japanese | さようなら (Sayōnara) | Sah-yoh-nah-rah | またね (Mata ne) | Ma-tah neh |
Kannada | ಬೀದಿ (Bīdi) | Bee-dee | ಸುದಿನ (Sudina) | Soo-dee-nah |
Kazakh | Қоштасуыз (Qoshtaswız) | Khoshtah-sooz | Әссаламу алейкум (Assalamu aleikum) | Ass-ah-lah-moo ah-lay-koom |
Khmer | លាស (Lea sâ) | Lee-sah | ចាន (Chum reap) | Choom reep |
Korean | 안녕히 가세요 (Annyeonghi gaseyo) | Ahn-nyung-hee gah-seh-yo | 안녕 (Annyeong) | Ahn-nyung |
Kurdish | باش بەی (Baş be) | Bosh bay | سلام (Silav) | See-lahv |
Kyrgyz | Кечиресиз (Keçiresiz) | Ke-chi-reh-seez | Кайырма (Qayyrma) | Qayyrr-mah |
Lao | ຍິນ (Yún) | Yoon | ຂ້າພີ (Khâphi) | Khah-pee |
Latin | Vale | Vah-leh | Salutem dicere | Sah-loo-tem dee-keh |
Latvian | Uz redzēšanos | Ooz reh-dzeh-sha-nohs | Atā (Ahtah) | Ah-tah |
Lithuanian | Sudie | Soo-dyeh | Labas | Lah-bahs |
Luxembourgish | Äddi | Ah-dee | Moien | Mwah-yen |
Macedonian | Довидување (Doviduvanje) | Doh-vee-doo-vah-nyeh | Чао (Chao) | Chao |
Malagasy | Veloma | Vay-loh-mah | Veloma | Vay-loh-mah |
Malay | Selamat tinggal | Suh-lah-maht teeng-gahl | Selamat jalan | Suh-lah-maht jah-lahn |
Malayalam | വിട (Viḍa) | Vee-dah | പോയ (Poya) | Poh-yah |
Maltese | Il-lejl il-majr | Eel-leyl il-mayr | Saħħa | Sa-ha |
Maori | Haere rā | High-reh rah | E noho rā | Ay noh-ho rah |
Marathi | विचारा (Vichara) | Vee-cha-rah | नका (Naka) | Nah-kah |
Mongolian | Баяртаа (Bayartai) | Bay-ar-taa | Сайхан өдр (Saihan ödr) | Sai-khan odr |
Nepali | फेरि भेटौं (Pheri bhetou) | Fay-ree bhay-toh | छैन (Chaina) | Chai-na |
Norwegian | Ha det bra | Hah deht bra | Hade | Hah-deh |
Pashto | د پختو وروسته (Da pakhtu warasta) | Dah pahkh-too wah-rah-stah | په خير (Pah khayr) | Pah khayr |
Polish | Do widzenia | Doh veed-ze-nyah | Cześć | Cheshch |
Portuguese | Adeus | Ah-day-oosh | Tchau | Chah-oo |
Punjabi | ਚਲੋ (Chalo) | Chah-lo | ਅਲਵਿਦਾ (Alvida) | Al-vee-dah |
Romanian | La revedere | Lah reh-veh-deh-reh | Pa | Pah |
Russian | До свидания (Do svidaniya) | Doh svee-dah-nee-yah | Пока (Poka) | Poh-ka |
Samoan | Tofa | Toh-fah | Fa | Fah |
Serbian | Довиђења (Doviđenja) | Doh-vee-dyen-yah | Здраво (Zdravo) | Zdrah-vo |
Sesotho | Lumela | Loo-meh-lah | Sala hantle | Sah-lah hant-lay |
Shona | Kwaziwai zvakanaka | Kwa-zee-why zvah-kah-nah-kah | Chisarai | Chee-sah-rye |
Sindhi | الوِڙو (Alwiru) | Al-vee-roo | پانڍ پيار ڪريو (Pand pyar karyo) | Pund pyahr kah-ryo |
Sinhala | එයාගේ වූ (Eyage wu) | Ey-ah-geh voo | සුබසුබු (Suba suba) | Soo-bah soo-bah |
Slovak | Do videnia | Doh veed-en-yah | Ahoj | Ah-hoy |
Slovenian | Nasvidenje | Nahs-vee-denyeh | Adijo | Ah-dee-oh |
Somali | Nabad gelyo | Nah-bahd gehl-yoh | Nabad | Nah-bahd |
Spanish | Adiós | Ah-dee-ohs | Hasta luego | Ahs-tah loo-eh-goh |
Swahili | Kwa heri | Kwah heh-ree | Kwah heri | Kwah heh-ree |
Swedish | Adjö | Ahd-yuh | Hej då | Hey doh |
Tajik | Худо хофиз (Khudo khofiz) | Khoo-doh khoh-fee-z | Баи баи (Bai bai) | Bai bai |
Tamil | குட்பையே போய் (Kudipaiye poy) | Koo-dee-pai-ye pohy | வரும்போது வா (Varumbodu va) | Vah-room-boh-doo vah |
Telugu | విదాయం (Vidaayam) | Vee-dah-yum | బై (Bye) | Bye |
Thai | ลาก่อน (La kon) | Laa-kon | บาย (Bai) | Bai |
Turkish | Hoşça kal | Hosh-cha kahl | Hoşça kal | Hosh-cha kahl |
Turkmen | Sag boluň | Sahg boh-loon | Säleňiň adamsyň | Sa-ley-neen ah-dahm-seen |
Ukrainian | До побачення (Do pobachennia) | Doh poh-bah-chenn-ya | Пока (Poka) | Poh-ka |
Urdu | الوداع (Alwida) | Al-vee-dah | خدا حافظ (Khuda hafiz) | Khuh-da hah-veez |
Uzbek | Xayr (Хайр) | Khayr | Salom | Sah-lohm |
Vietnamese | Tạm biệt (Tạm biệt) | Tahm byet | Tạm biệt (Tạm biệt) | Tahm byet |
Welsh | Hwyl fawr | Hweel vowr | Hwyl fawr | Hweel vowr |
Xhosa | Hamba kahle | Hahm-bah kah-leh | Sala unjalo | Sah-lah oon-jah-lo |
Yiddish | אז א גוטן (Az a gutn) | Ahz ah gootn | אַ הייב די (A heyb di) | Ah hayb dee |
Yoruba | Kò sé | Koh shey | Kí ákàbí | Kee ah-kah-bee |
Zulu | Sala kahle | Sah-lah kah-leh | Hamba kahle | Hahm-bah kah-leh |
Goodbye in Fantasy Languages
Language | Formal Goodbye | English Reading | Informal Goodbye | English Reading |
---|---|---|---|---|
Elvish (Sindarin) | Suilad | Soo-lad | Mae govannen | My go-van-nen |
Elvish (Quenya) | Auta i lome | Ow-ta ee lo-may | Malallo le | Ma-la-lo lay |
Elven Runes | ᛋᚢᛁᛚᚨᛞ | Soolad | ᛗᚨᛖ ᚷᚩᚡᚨᚾᚾᛖᚾ | May go-van-nen |
Dwarvish | Khazâd ai-mênu | Kha-zad eye-may-noo | Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd aimênu! | Ba-ruk Kha-zad! Kha-zad eye-may-noo! |
Dwarf Runes | ᚺᛖᚱᚨ | Haira | ᛖᛖᛈ! ᚺᚨᛋᚱᛖᛞᛏᚨ! | Ay-ya! Har-ed-da! |
Dragon Tongue | Lok dovahkiin | Lok do-vah-keen | Zu'u fen fahliil do naan | Zoo fen fah-leel do nan |
Klingon | nuqneH | Nook-neh | Qapla' | Kup-lah |
Valyrian | Pryjat | Pri-yat | Rytsas | Rit-sas |
Dothraki | M'athchomaroon | Mahth-cho-ma-roon | Hash yer dothrae | Hash yer doth-ray |
High Valyrian | Aōha ēngos | Ah-oh-ha eng-os | Valar morghulis | Va-lar mor-ghoo-lis |
Na'vi | Kaltxì | Kal-tsee | Eywa ngahu | Ay-wa ngah-hoo |
Fae | Dia duit | Dee-ah gwit | Haigh | Hay |
Gnomish | Gnufrotz | Gnoo-frotz | Hellosir | Hel-lo-sir |
Orcish | Lok'tar | Lok-tar | Dabu | Da-boo |
Trollish | Gurubashi | Goo-roo-bah-shee | Vodoo! Voodoo! | Voo-doo! Voo-doo! |
Goblin | Lok'tar ogar | Lok-tar oh-gar | Snikt! Snikt! | Snikt! Snikt! |
Draconic | ᛚᛟᚲ ᛞᛟᚹᚨᚺᚲᛁᛃᛁᚾ | Lok do-wah-keen | ᛉᚢ'ᚠᚾ ᚠᛖᚾ ᚠᚨᚺᛚᛁᛚ | Zoo fen fah-leel |
If you’ve enjoyed learning these expressions from the videos above, you might want to take it a step further and start learning a language with FluentU. FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app. P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
Learning “goodbye” in many languages isn’t just a good way to prepare yourself for encounters in those languages, but to see the similarities and differences between them.
Have fun with the videos in this post, and goodbye ’til next time!
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