Goodbye in Japanese

Do you know how to say goodbye in Japanese? After this free audio lesson for beginners you’ll be able to bid farewell with confidence.

Let's get started with goodbye in Japanese!

Resources for further reading:

Pronouncing goodbye in Japanese

You have probably heard “Sayōnara” before, which is the most common form of saying “Good-bye”. You may have also heard “Shitsurei shimasu”, another formal farewell phrase which translates literally to “I’m being rude by leaving your presence”.

Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record

Rocket Record lets you perfect your Japanese pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
さようなら
Sayōnara
Goodbye
失礼 します
しつれい します
Shitsurei shimasu
Goodbye (formal)
If you're bidding someone farewell at night, you could also say good night:
おやすみなさい
Oyasuminasai
Good night

Casual Farewells

Outside of formal situations, you'll hear some more informal ways to say goodbye. Let’s listen to some casual farewells…

じゃあ ・ じゃあ ね
Jā / Jā ne
Bye
また ね
Mata ne
See you soon
じゃあ また
Jā matta
See you again
また 明日
また あした
Mata ashita
See you tomorrow
元気 で
げんき で
Genki de
Be well

If you want more lessons on Japanese salutations then I recommend that you check out the following:

Jā matta!

Sayaka Matsuura: Rocket Japanese

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