Goodbye in many languages

These are phrases you use when parting from others. In some languages those leaving and those staying each use different phrases. The English word goodbye comes from the Old English God þē mid sīe, which means "God be with you".

Glossary of abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, sg = singular (said to one person), pl = plural (said to more than one person), >m = said to men, >f = said to women.

Language Phrase
Afrikaans Totsiens
Albanian Pacim, Mirupafshim
Arabic (Modern Standard) (ila'lli'qa') إلى اللقاء (ma'a ssa'lāma) مع السلامة
Arabic (Egyptian) (bai) باي (ma'is salāma) مع السّلامة
Arapaho Heetce'noohobe3en
Armenian (Eastern) Ց'տեսություն (Ts.tesutyun) Հաջողությո'ւն: (Hajoghutyun)
Azerbaijani Sağol, Xudahafiz (inf)
Sağolun, Salamat qalın, Görüşənədək (frm)
Basque Agur
Belarusian Да пабачэньня (Da pabachen'nya) Убачымся (Ubachymsia)
Bosnian Alahimanet / Zbogom / Do viđenja / Ćao / Zdravo
Breton Kenavo, Ken ar wech all, Ken a vo gwelet
Bulgarian Довиждане Click here to hear this phrase (Doviždane)
Catalan Adéu (goodbye), A reveure (see you), Que vagi bé (take care),
Fins ara (see you soon), Fins després (see you later),
Fins demà (see you tomorrow), Ja ens veurem (we'll be in touch)
Chamorro Adios
Chinese (Cantonese) 再見 (joigin) 拜拜 (baaibaai)
Chinese (Hakka) Chài fùi
Chinese (Mandarin) 再見 [再见] (zàijiàn) 拜拜 (bàibài)
Chinese (Shanghainese) 再会 (tsewe/tzeiwei)
Chinese (Teochow) 请 (chia2)
Cornish Dyw genes (sg), Dyw genowgh (pl)
Dha weles (see you) Dha weles skon (See you soon)
Dha weles diwettha (See you later)
Dha weles a-vorow (See you tomorrow)
Benetugana, Dew boz geno, Tereba nessa Click here to hear this phrase
Croatian Zbogom, Doviđenja!
Czech Nashledanou Click here to hear this phrase Čau Click here to hear this phrase
Danish Farvel
Dutch Tot ziens, Tot straks (see you later)
Tot gauw (see you soon), Dag, Doeg, Doei
Esperanto Ĝis poste, Ĝis (la) revido, Ĝis la, Ĝis, Adiaŭ
Estonian Nägemiseni (head aega)
Faroese Farvæl, Bei, Vit síggjast
Fijian Ni sa moce
Finnish Näkemiin
French Au revoir, À bientôt Click here to hear this phrase
Frisian (North) Adjiis
Frisian (West) Oant sjen
Friulian A riviodisi / A bon riviodisi
Gaelic (Irish) Slán, Slán go fóill
Gaelic (Manx) Slane lhiat Click here to hear this phrase Bannaght lhiat/lhiu, Hee'm oo/shiu
Gaelic (Scottish) Beannachd leat/leibh, Mar sin leat, Cheery
Galician Adeus
Georgian ნახვამდის (nakhvamdis)
German Auf wiedersehen (formal)
Tschüss, Tschüs, Tschö, Tschau, Ciao, Servus (informal)
Bis dann, Bis bald, Bis später Click here to hear this phrase
Greek Γειά σας Click here to hear this phrase (Yiá sas) - frm, Γειά σου Click here to hear this phrase (Yiá sou) - inf, Αντίο (antio)
Greenlandic Takuss (short parting)
Ajunnginniarnat / Inuulluarit (long parting)
Hawaiian A hui hou, Aloha
Hebrew (lehitraot) להתראות
Hindi नमस्ते (Namaste), अल्विदा (Alvidā)
Hungarian Szia / Viszlát (inf) Viszontlátásra (frm)
Icelandic Vertu blessaður (>m) Vertu blessuð (>f)
Bless á meðan, Bless bless (inf)
Við sjáumst, Sjáumst síðar (see you later)
Ilocano Agpakadaakon, Kastan/Kasta pay, Sige, Innakon
Indonesian Selamat tinggal (you're leaving)
Selamat jalan (you're staying)
Sampai jumpa lagi
Inuktitut ᑕᕝᕙᐅᕗᑎᑦ (Tavvauvutit) - to one person
ᑕᕝᕙᐅᕗᓯ (Tavvauvusi) - to many people
Italian Ciao Click here to hear this phrase Ci vediamo Click here to hear this phrase Arrivederla Click here to hear this phrase Arrivederci Click here to hear this phrase
Italian (Roman dialect) Arrivedece (informal), ArrivedeLa (formal)
Japanese さようなら (sayōnara)
行って来ます (ittekimasu) - I'll be back - you are leaving
行ってらっしゃい (itterasshai) - come back soon - you are staying
じゃあまたね (jā mata ne) - see you later
Jèrriais À bétôt, À bi, À la préchaine, À tantôt
Kazakh Сау болыңыз (Saw bolıñız)
Khmer លាហើយ (lea hey)
Klallam húy’
Korean 안녕 (annyeong)
안녕히 계세요 (annyeonghi gyeseyo) - you are leaving
안녕히 가세요 (annyeonghi gaseyo) - you are staying
Ladino (Adío) אדיו
Latvian Uz redzēšanos
Lithuanian Viso gero
Low German (Plautdietsch) Au'dee
Luxembourgish Äddi, Avuhr
Macedonian Довидување Click here to hear this phrase (Doviduvanye), Догледање Click here to hear this phrase (Dogledanye)
Māori E noho ra (said by person leaving)
E haere ra (said by person staying)
Hei kona ra (inf)
Malay Selamat tinggal (you're leaving)
Selamat jalan (you're staying)
Sampai jumpa lagi
Maltese Ċaw / Saħħa / Saħħiet (pl)
Mauritian Creole Orewar
Mongolian Баяртай (Bayartai)
Дараа уулзая (Daraa uulzii!) see you later
Маргааш уулзая (Margaash uulzii) see you tomorrow
Norwegian Ha det bra / Hade (inf) / Adjø / Farvel
Occitan A lèu! Adieu! Adieussiatz!
Okinawan Njichaabira
Old English God þē mid sīe (lit. "God be with you)
Persian (bedrood) بدرود
Polish Do widzenia Click here to hear this phrase (frm)
Do zobaczenia Click here to hear this phrase Narazie! Cześć! (inf)
Portuguese Adeus, Tchau (Brazil) Click here to hear these phrases
Romanian La revedere
Russian До свидания Click here to hear this phrase (Do svidanija)
Samoan Tofa soifua
Sardinian Adiosu
Serbian Довиђења (Doviđenja)
Sesotho Sala hantle (to person staying)
Tsamaya hantle (to person leaving)
Slovak Dovidenia, Zbohom (frm) Čau, Ahoj (inf)
Slovenian Na svidenje, Zbogom, Zdravo, Živijo, Adijo
Spanish Adiós, Hasta luego, Hasta la vista, Hasta manaña Click here to hear this phrase
Swahili Kwaheri Click here to hear this phrase
Swedish Hej då Click here to hear this phrase
Tagalog Paálam, Síge
Thai ลาก่อนนะ (lah gòrn ná)
Turkish Hoşça kal
Ukrainian До побачення (Do pobačennja)
Urdu (khuda hafiz) خدا حافظ
Uzbek Hayirli tun Click here to hear this phrase
Venda Sala kahle
Vietnamese Chào anh (>m) Chào chị (>f) Tạm biệt
Welsh Hwyl, Hwyl fawr, Hwyl nawr, Hwyl am y tro, Tara, Da boch chi
Xhosa Hamba kakuhle (go well) Sala kakuhle (stay well)
Yiddish (Adie) אַדיע
Yapese Kafel/Kefel
Zulu Sala kahle (sg) Salani kahle (pl) >people staying
Hamba kahle (sg) Hambani kahle (pl) >people leaving

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, please contact me. If you can provide audio recordings of any of these phrases, please send them to my email address

You can send me audio files in any format. If you don't know how to make recordings on a computer, you can send me recordings on audio cassette. Let me know if you want to do this and I'll send you my snailmail address. Or you can call me on Skype (omniglot) and I'll do the recording.

Links

Goodbye in many languages
http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/goodbye.htm

Useful phrases in various European languages
http://www.geocities.com/mailjohan/

Other phrases

Welcome | Hello | How are you? | Long time no see | What's your name? | Where are you from? | Pleased to meet you | Good morning | Good afternoon | Good evening | Good night | Good bye | Good luck | Cheers/Good health | Have a nice day | Bon appetit | Bon voyage | I don't understand | Please say that again | Please speak more slowly | Can you please write it down? | Do you speak ...? | Excuse me | How much is this? | Sorry | Thank you | Where's the toilet? | This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Would you like to dance with me? | I love you | Get well soon | How do you say ... in [your language]? | Leave me alone! | Help! | Call the police! | Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year | Happy Easter | Happy Birthday | Idioms | It's all Greek to me | It's raining cats and dogs | As easy as falling off a log | A sandwich short of a picnic | When pigs fly | 'Useful' phrases | My hovercraft is full of eels | Tongue twisters | Proverbs, quotations and sayings about language | One language is never enough | Stop the world, I want to get off! | Days of the week

Support this site - make a donation