How to Say Goodbye in Japanese – Easy Phrases for everyone learning Japanese.
Hello! I’m Miyabi（みやび）, a Japanese working mom with two little sons.
Today, I’ll teach you some useful and natural Japanese goodbye phrases!
1. Basic Goodbye Phrases
These are easy and common phrases used in daily life.
| Japanese | Hiragana | Meaning | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| さようなら | さようなら | Goodbye | Formal or emotional goodbye |
| サヨナラ | さよなら | Bye (casual) | Casual, a bit dramatic |
| じゃあね | じゃあね | See you | Friends, casual |
| またね | またね | See you again | Everyday, casual |
| バイバイ | ばいばい | Bye-bye | Very casual |
| また明日 | またあした | See you tomorrow | School, work |
| また今度 | またこんど | See you next time | Friendly, any time |
| 失礼します | しつれいします | Excuse me / Goodbye | Polite situation |
| 行ってきます | いってきます | I’m off | Leaving home |
| 行ってらっしゃい | いってらっしゃい | Take care | Said to someone leaving |
2. Polite Business Goodbye Phrases
| Japanese | Hiragana | Meaning | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| お先に失礼します | おさきにしつれいします | I’ll leave first | Leaving work early |
| それでは、失礼いたします | それでは、しつれいいたします | Excuse me | Business meetings |
| また連絡させていただきます | またれんらくさせていただきます | I will contact you again | Emails, business talk |
| 今後ともよろしくお願いします | こんごともよろしくおねがいします | Thank you in advance | Formal relationships |
| 本日はありがとうございました | ほんじつはありがとうございました | Thank you for today | After meetings or events |
| お疲れ様です | おつかれさまです | Good job / Thank you | Workplace greeting or parting |
3. Friendly Goodbye (Friends and Family)
| Japanese | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 元気でね | げんきでね | Take care |
| 気をつけてね | きをつけてね | Be safe / Take care |
| また遊ぼうね | またあそぼうね | Let’s hang out again |
| じゃ、またね | じゃ、またね | See you again |
| バイバ〜イ | ばいば〜い | Bye-bye |
| じゃ、気をつけて〜 | じゃ、きをつけて〜 | Take care~ |
4. Emotional or Heartfelt Goodbyes
| Japanese | Hiragana | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 離れたくないな | はなれたくないな | I don’t want to leave |
| 帰りたくないな | かえりたくないな | I don’t want to go home |
| もっと一緒にいたかった | もっといっしょにいたかった | I wanted to stay longer |
| また連絡するね | またれんらくするね | I’ll contact you again |
| 忘れないでね | わすれないでね | Don’t forget me |
| また必ず会おうね | またかならずあおうね | Let’s meet again |
| 体に気をつけて | からだにきをつけて | Take care of your health |
Miyabi’s Point!
In the tables above, I showed many ways to say goodbye in Japanese. Now, let me share how I personally use some of these phrases in my daily life.
Friendly goodbyes with close friends
With close friends, I often say:
- バイバイ！ (Bye-bye!)
- じゃあね！ (See you!)
- またね！ (See you again!)
When a friend visits my home and is heading home, I usually add:
気をつけてね！
(“Take care!” or “Get home safely!”)
This is a way to show kindness and care as they head back home.
Saying goodbye to family
When I send off a family member, I often say:
いってらっしゃい！気をつけてね！
(“Have a good day! Take care!”)
This combination is very common in Japanese homes when someone leaves for school or work. It expresses warmth and concern for their safety.
At work: polite goodbyes (even if I’m not leaving early)
At work, I say:
お先に失礼します (おさきにしつれいします)
(“Excuse me for leaving before you.”)
I use this phrase even when I’m not leaving early. If some coworkers are still working when I leave, it’s polite to say this to them. It’s not about the time I leave, but about showing respect to others who are still working.
Other situations where I use “お先に失礼します”
This phrase is also useful outside the office. For example:
- When I’m in an elevator and I get off before others
- When I’m at a hot spring (onsen), and I leave before someone I had a short conversation with
In these moments, “お先に失礼します” is a natural and polite way to say goodbye when leaving first.
These are just a few examples from my daily life. I hope they help you understand how native Japanese speakers really use these goodbye phrases!
- じゃあね！
- またね！
- 気をつけてね！
※I tried adding a “read aloud” button so you can hear the pronunciation, but it seems it doesn’t work for everyone. I’m sorry about that!
I’ll keep learning and improving it. I’m also planning to share pronunciation and listening tips little by little on YouTube.
To be honest, it’s been hard to update my YouTube channel recently — I have two little sons, and I can’t really open my laptop when they’re around because they might destroy it (haha). And when I try to record narration, their cute voices always sneak in.
Thank you always for your kind support. I really appreciate you being here, and I look forward to learning with you all!
Related Keywords: Japanese goodbye phrases, how to say goodbye in Japanese, beginner Japanese greetings, 別れの挨拶, 日本語 さようなら
Let’s practice these goodbye phrases together! Which one will you try today?
