さよなら
さよなら
interjection
goodbye; farewell
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、元気でね。
Goodbye, take care.
先生、さようなら。
Goodbye, teacher.
空港で友人にさよならを言ったとき、涙が出た。
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、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)
- 失礼します — excuse me, I'll be going (formal, workplace)