さよなら

さよなら
interjection
goodbye; farewell
greeting
1. goodbye; farewell
A parting greeting used when saying goodbye, especially when the separation may be for a long time or permanent. In everyday casual speech, shorter forms like じゃあね or バイバイ are more common.
さよなら、元気(げんき)でね。
Goodbye, take care.
先生(せんせい)、さようなら。
Goodbye, teacher.
空港(くうこう)で友人(ゆうじん)にさよならを言(い)ったとき、涙(なみだ)が出(で)た。
When I said goodbye to my friend at the airport, tears came to my eyes.

Despite being one of the most well-known Japanese words internationally, さよなら actually carries a sense of finality or long-term separation. Japanese speakers rarely use it for casual daily partings.

Forms

  • さようなら — the full, formal form
  • さよなら — slightly shortened, the most common written form
  • さよーなら — elongated casual form

Usage

  • Used when children leave school: 先生(せんせい)、さようなら
  • Used for emotional farewells (moving away, long trips, breakups)
  • Can sound dramatic or final in everyday conversation

Similar words

  • じゃあね / じゃあまたね — see you later (casual, everyday)
  • バイバイ — bye-bye (very casual, often used by younger people)
  • では / それでは — well then (polite parting, used in business)
  • 失礼(しつれい)します — excuse me, I'll be going (formal, workplace)

Related Words

Compare: じゃあね (see you later)
Compare: では (well then)
Compare: それでは (well then)
Compare: 失礼(しつれい)します (excuse me, I'll be going)
general
Added 2026.4.5 13:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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