How to Say Goodbye in Japanese: 16 Farewells for Every Situation

The Goodbye You Were Taught Is Wrong

The most common everyday goodbye in Japanese is NOT Sayounara (さようなら). If you learned Japanese from a textbook, sayounara was probably the first farewell you memorized. But walk through any office, school, or neighborhood in Tokyo and you will rarely hear it. Japanese people actually use Jaa ne (じゃあね) with friends, Otsukaresama deshita (お疲れ様でした) at work, and Shitsurei shimasu (失礼します) in formal settings.

Why? Sayounara carries a weight of finality. It literally derives from sayou naraba ("if it must be so"), implying an acceptance of separation that may be permanent. Saying it to a coworker at the end of a Tuesday would sound like you are quitting your job, or worse. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs' 2023 National Language Survey, the overwhelming majority of Japanese adults use context-specific farewells rather than a single catch-all goodbye.

"Japanese farewells are not variations on a single concept but distinct social acts. Each one communicates specific information about the relationship, the setting, and the expected timeline of reuniting."

(Seiichi Makino, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, The Japan Times, 1986)

Japanese is spoken by approximately 125 million people according to Ethnologue's 2024 data, and its farewell system reflects the culture's deep attention to social hierarchy and situational awareness. This guide covers 16 essential Japanese goodbyes organized by category: everyday casual, workplace, formal, and long-term partings. Each includes Japanese script, romaji pronunciation, and the cultural context you need to use it correctly.

Quick Reference: Japanese Goodbyes at a Glance

Everyday Casual Goodbyes

These are the farewells Japanese people actually use on a daily basis with friends, family, and peers. If you want to sound natural rather than textbook-stiff, these are the ones to master first.

じゃあね (Jaa ne)

Jaa ne is arguably the most frequently used goodbye in informal Japanese. It is a contraction of jaa (well then) and the sentence-ending particle ne (right? / you know?). You will hear it constantly among friends parting ways after school, lunch, or a night out. Variants include jaa by itself (even more clipped) and jaa mata (well then, again) which implies you will meet again soon.

またね (Mata ne)

Mata means "again," so mata ne literally says "again, okay?", a casual promise that you will see each other soon. It carries a slightly warmer tone than jaa ne because it explicitly looks forward to the next meeting. You can combine them: jaa mata ne is a very natural, common farewell.

また明日 (Mata ashita)

When you know you will see someone the next day, mata ashita is the most natural farewell. It is direct and sets a clear expectation. Students leaving school, coworkers heading home, friends wrapping up an evening all commonly use this phrase. You can swap ashita (tomorrow) for other time words: mata raishuu (see you next week), mata kondo (see you next time).

バイバイ (Baibai)

Baibai entered Japanese from English "bye-bye" and is written in katakana (バイバイ) to mark it as a foreign loanword. According to The Japan Foundation's survey data, English loanwords in casual Japanese speech have increased steadily, and baibai is now thoroughly naturalized among younger speakers. It has a light, cheerful tone, common in texts, among friends, and especially among younger women and children.

Workplace Goodbyes

Japanese workplace culture has its own dedicated farewell system. These phrases are not optional; they are expected social rituals that every worker in Japan performs daily. According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs' 2023 survey, proper workplace greetings and farewells rank among the top concerns Japanese employees have about professional communication.

お疲れ様でした (Otsukaresama deshita)

If you learn only one workplace farewell, make it this one. Otsukaresama deshita is the universal response when someone leaves the office. It literally says "you were honorably tired," acknowledging the effort the person put in. The present-tense version, otsukaresama desu, is used as a greeting during the workday, while the past-tense deshita signals the work is done and the person is leaving.

This phrase transcends the office. It is used after any shared activity: finishing a meeting, completing a group project, ending a sports practice, wrapping up a volunteer event. It is Japan's way of saying "we worked hard together and I appreciate it."

お先に失礼します (Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu)

This farewell embodies a distinctly Japanese cultural value: the awareness that leaving before your colleagues could inconvenience them. Osaki ni means "before you" and shitsurei shimasu means "I will be rude," so you are literally apologizing for the rudeness of leaving first. The people still at their desks respond with otsukaresama deshita, completing the ritual.

失礼します (Shitsurei shimasu)

Shitsurei shimasu works as both a formal goodbye and an "excuse me" when entering or leaving a room. When leaving a business meeting, ending a phone call with a client, or departing from a formal gathering, this is the standard closing phrase. It is softer and more polite than directly saying goodbye.

Formal and Long-Term Partings

These goodbyes are reserved for more significant separations: when someone is moving away, when you may not see a person for months, or when real emotional weight is involved.

さようなら (Sayounara)

Here is the word every foreigner knows, and the one Japanese people rarely use in everyday conversation. Sayounara derives from sayou naraba (if it must be so), a phrase rooted in Buddhist acceptance of impermanence. Its etymology gives it a tone of resignation and finality that makes it feel heavy in casual use.

Where you WILL hear it: elementary school students saying it to their teacher at the end of the day (a ritualized group farewell), farewell speeches, and dramatic moments in films and literature. Where you will NOT hear it: friends parting after dinner, coworkers leaving the office, or family members heading out. For those situations, the casual and workplace farewells above are what real Japanese sounds like. Check out our guide to the best movies for learning Japanese and listen for when characters use sayounara versus jaa ne. The emotional difference is immediately obvious.

お元気で (Ogenki de)

Ogenki de is the farewell that carries genuine emotional warmth. While sayounara accepts separation with stoic formality, ogenki de actively wishes the other person well. The o- prefix adds respect, genki means health or vitality, and de implies "please be," so you are saying "please stay healthy and well."

This is the phrase you use when a foreign exchange student returns home, when a colleague transfers to another branch, or when you say goodbye to someone after a meaningful visit. It shows you care about their well-being beyond this moment.

気をつけて (Ki wo tsukete)

Ki wo tsukete literally means "attach your spirit" or "be mindful," a way of saying "be careful" or "take care." It is commonly used when someone is heading home at night, traveling a long distance, or facing any situation where you want to express concern for their safety. Parents say it to children leaving for school, friends say it after a late night out, and hosts say it to departing guests.

それでは (Sore dewa)

Sore dewa is not a goodbye by itself but a transitional phrase that signals departure. It smooths the shift from conversation to parting. In formal contexts, it is often followed by shitsurei shimasu. In casual speech, it contracts to sore ja or simply ja, which is the root of jaa ne.

また会いましょう (Mata aimashou)

Where mata ne is the casual "see you," mata aimashou is its polite counterpart. The verb aimasu (to meet) in the volitional form aimashou (let's meet) makes this an active proposal rather than a passive hope. It works well with acquaintances, professional contacts you genuinely want to see again, and social situations where you want to express warmth without being too casual.

Home-Departure Farewells

Just as Japanese has the tadaima/okaeri pair for returning home, it has a complementary pair for leaving home. These are daily rituals that virtually every Japanese household practices.

行ってきます (Ittekimasu)

Ittekimasu combines itte (going) with kimasu (will come back), creating a single phrase that means "I am going and I will return." It is said every morning by students heading to school, parents going to work, and anyone leaving the house. The built-in promise of return makes it a uniquely reassuring farewell.

行ってらっしゃい (Itterasshai)

Itterasshai is the household response to ittekimasu, completing the departure ritual. It uses the honorific verb irassharu (to go/come/be) and essentially means "please go and please come back safely." Together with ittekimasu, it forms one of Japanese culture's most iconic daily exchanges, one you will hear in virtually every anime, drama, and film that depicts a Japanese morning. To hear these in context, explore authentic Japanese content through Wordy.

Nighttime Goodbyes

おやすみなさい (Oyasuminasai)

Oyasuminasai comes from yasumu (to rest) with the polite imperative nasai (please do). It serves double duty as both a farewell when parting late at night and a "good night" when heading to bed. Among friends and family, the shorter oyasumi is standard. NHK World-Japan's language materials note that oyasuminasai is one of the first phrases taught in Japanese-language classrooms worldwide because of its daily utility.

How to Respond to Japanese Goodbyes

Japanese farewells follow clear call-and-response patterns. Knowing the correct response is just as important as initiating the farewell.

Casual Farewell Responses

Workplace Farewell Responses

Home-Departure Responses

Practice With Real Japanese Content

Reading about farewells gives you the knowledge, but hearing them in natural conversation with proper intonation is what makes them stick. Japanese films and dramas are packed with farewell scenes, and because Japanese culture is so context-sensitive, you will hear characters naturally switch between jaa ne, otsukaresama deshita, and shitsurei shimasu depending on who they are talking to.

Wordy lets you watch Japanese movies and shows with interactive subtitles. Tap on any farewell to see its romaji pronunciation, formality level, and cultural context in real time. You will internalize the difference between casual and formal goodbyes by absorbing them from real conversations rather than memorizing lists.

For more Japanese language resources, explore our blog for guides including the best movies to learn Japanese. Start practicing with authentic content on our Japanese learning page today.