25 Unique Ways To Say “Goodbye" In Japanese

The Japanese language is rich in ways to say ‘goodbye,’ each showing different levels of closeness and respect. Exploring these phrases helps you understand and speak the language better. It also shows you how Japanese people interact. Each goodbye fits a different setting and shows respect.

25 Unique Ways to Say “Goodbye” in Japanese

Japanese Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning/Usage
さようなら	Sayōnara	Formal goodbye
じゃあね	Jā ne	Informal, see you later
またね	Mata ne	See you again
さよなら	Sayo nara	Goodbye
じゃあまた	Jā mata	Well then, see you again
また明日	Mata ashita	See you tomorrow
おやすみなさい	Oyasuminasai	Good night
行ってきます	Ittekimasu	I’m leaving (when leaving home)
行ってらっしゃい	Itterasshai	Please go and come back (response to above)
失礼します	Shitsurei shimasu	Excuse me (formal, when leaving)
バイバイ	Baibai	Bye-bye (casual)
お元気で	Ogenki de	Take care
お疲れ様でした	Otsukaresama deshita	Thank you for your hard work (when leaving)
気をつけて	Ki o tsukete	Take care
また会いましょう	Mata aimashou	Let’s meet again
お世話になりました	Osewa ni narimashita	Thank you for everything
さよなら、また会う日まで	Sayonara, mata au hi made	Goodbye until we meet again
元気でね	Genki de ne	Stay well
しばらくね	Shibaraku ne	See you in a while
じゃね	Ja ne	See you
良い旅を	Yoi tabi o	Have a good trip
また今度	Mata kondo	See you next time
では、また	Dewa, mata	Well then, see you
お大事に	Odaiji ni	Take care (when someone is ill)
ごきげんよう	Gokigen yō	Farewell (very formal)

Formal Goodbyes

Japanese Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning/Usage
さようなら	Sayōnara	Formal goodbye
失礼します	Shitsurei shimasu	Excuse me (formal, when leaving)
お世話になりました	Osewa ni narimashita	Thank you for everything
お疲れ様でした	Otsukaresama deshita	Thank you for your hard work (when leaving)
ごきげんよう	Gokigen yō	Farewell (very formal)
お元気で	Ogenki de	Take care
さよなら、また会う日まで	Sayonara, mata au hi made	Goodbye until we meet again
良い旅を	Yoi tabi o	Have a good trip
また会いましょう	Mata aimashou	Let’s meet again
お大事に	Odaiji ni	Take care (when someone is ill)

Casual Goodbyes

Japanese Phrase	Pronunciation	Meaning/Usage
バイバイ	Baibai	Bye-bye (casual)
またね	Mata ne	See you again
じゃあね	Jā ne	See you later
また明日	Mata ashita	See you tomorrow
じゃあまた	Jā mata	Well then, see you again
じゃね	Ja ne	See you
行ってきます	Ittekimasu	I’m leaving (when leaving home)
行ってらっしゃい	Itterasshai	Please go and come back (response to above)
元気でね	Genki de ne	Stay well
また今度	Mata kondo	See you next time

Conclusion

In short, the many ways to say ‘goodbye’ in Japanese show how complex the culture is and how much it cares about the social setting. Learning these phrases is vital to improving communication and understanding the culture. When learners use these different expressions, they handle social situations better. It shows how important it is to understand the cultural subtleties when learning a language.