Last post was about how to say hello in japanese. As there are many ways to say hello, there are also many ways to say good-bye.

The most well-known word for good-bye is probably さようなら (sayounara). I am sure you’ve heard さようなら before, but actually it means like good-bye forever or for a very long time. Therefore avoid さようなら if you are planning on seeing the person again. If you know that you will see a person soon again, you should use じゃあね (jyaa-ne) or また明日(mata ashita). But keep in mind that じゃあね or また明日 are informal ways of greetings.

Some informal greetings which are often used are:

また明日 (mata ashita) – see you tomorrow

またあとでね (mata atode ne) – casual, see you later

じゃあ(jyaa)、それじゃ(sorejya) – bye, see ya

ではまた (dewa mata) – see you later

じゃあね (jyaa-ne) – bye , see ya

またね(mata ne) – see you soon

げんきでね(genki de ne) – be well

失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) – very formal, this greeting is often used to a superior or when you leave someone’s presence

お先に (osaki ni) – formal, “I’m  leaving first” (when you e.g. leave the office first)

お先に失礼いたします (osaki ni shitsurei itashimasu) – highly formal

お疲れ様でした (otsukare sama deshita) – formal, is often used to express the appreciation for hard work and is most often used in work places

行ってきます (ittekimasu) – I’m off (to be used when you leave the house, to those who are staying)

行ってらっしゃい (itterasshai) – Take care (to be used when you stay in the house, to those who are leaving)

Take a look at the videos below to learn the pronunciation.

I hope this post was useful to improve your vocabulary. じゃあね !!