How to Say Goodbye in Japanese: Formal and Informal Farewells
Learn to say goodbye in Japanese with the right politeness for the setting. Master 失礼します, さようなら, じゃあね, and お先に失礼します.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
Saying goodbye in Japanese depends on who you are speaking to and where you are. さようなら is a familiar farewell used in settings such as school, but it can sound more final or distant in some everyday partings. For leaving a workplace or a formal setting, 失礼します is often the most natural choice. Among friends, じゃあね or またね are common. This lesson gives you five reusable phrases, a short dialogue, and practice choosing the right expression for the relationship and situation. It does not cover greetings.
By the end, you can…
- say goodbye politely in formal and informal Japanese situations.
- choose between さようなら, 失礼します, and casual farewells based on context.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
さようなら。
Goodbye.
sa-yo-o-na-ra
Neutral to formal farewell. Common in schools and when parting for a long time. In everyday conversation among friends, じゃあね or またね may feel more natural.
失礼します。
Excuse me / Goodbye (polite).
shi-tsu-re-e shi-ma-su
Common when leaving an office, a meeting, or another formal setting. It literally means 'I am being rude,' but functions as a polite excuse me or way to take leave.
お先に失礼します。
Excuse me for leaving before you.
o-sa-ki ni shi-tsu-re-e shi-ma-su
Used when you leave a workplace or group before others. A colleague staying behind may reply お疲れ様でした, as in the first exchange below.
じゃあね。
See you.
ja-a ne
Casual farewell among friends, family, or close peers. Not appropriate for formal situations or strangers.
またね。
See you later.
ma-ta ne
Casual and friendly. Implies you expect to meet again. Common among friends and classmates.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
A reliable pattern for polite goodbyes is 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu). It works when leaving a room, ending a phone call, or saying goodbye to a superior. If you are leaving before others, add お先に (osaki ni) to make お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu). For example, when leaving the office before your boss, say お先に失礼します。 For a neutral, slightly formal goodbye, さようなら (sayoonara) is fine. Among friends, choose じゃあね (jaa ne) or またね (mata ne).
When to use it
Use 失礼します when you leave a formal setting, such as a meeting, a customer's office, or a teacher's room. Use お先に失礼します when others remain. Use さようなら for a general goodbye, but note that in daily conversation it can sound like a final farewell; many speakers prefer じゃあね or またね with friends. With strangers or in business, 失礼します is safer than じゃあね. If you are unsure, 失礼します is a good default in polite contexts.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
お先に失礼します。
Excuse me for leaving before you.o-sa-ki ni shi-tsu-re-e shi-ma-suお疲れ様でした。
Thank you for your hard work.o-tsu-ka-re-sa-ma de-shi-taじゃあね、また明日。
See you, see you tomorrow.ja-a ne, ma-ta a-shi-taまたね。
See you later.ma-ta neA little context goes a long way
Japanese farewells often reflect social hierarchy and the situation. 失礼します is a polite way to excuse yourself when leaving, and お先に失礼します acknowledges that you are leaving before others. In casual settings, じゃあね and またね are friendly and common. さようなら is not rude, but it can sound formal or final, so many people use it mainly in schools or when parting for a long time. When in doubt, match the other person's tone and use a polite form.
One thing to watch for
Using じゃあね when taking leave in a formal workplace conversation.
Try this instead: Use 失礼します for a polite exit. Use お先に失礼します when you leave before others who remain, such as colleagues still at work. じゃあね is a casual choice with close friends. The first two dialogue lines form a workplace exchange; the last two form a separate exchange between friends.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You are leaving the office before your colleagues. What is the most appropriate polite goodbye?
Show a sample answer
お先に失礼します。
This phrase means 'Excuse me for leaving before you' and is standard when leaving a workplace before others. 失礼します alone is also polite, but お先に失礼します explicitly acknowledges leaving first.
2You are saying goodbye to a close friend after school. Which casual farewell is natural?
Show a sample answer
じゃあね。
じゃあね is a casual 'See you' used among friends. またね is also correct and friendly. さようなら would be understood but may sound more formal or distant in this context.
3You are leaving a teacher's office after a meeting. What polite phrase can you use?
Show a sample answer
失礼します。
失礼します is a polite way to excuse yourself when leaving a formal setting. さようなら is also acceptable, but 失礼します is more common when leaving a room or office.
4Listen to the two separate exchanges in the dialogue. In the workplace exchange, who leaves first and what does the colleague reply? In the friends' exchange, which line mentions tomorrow? Repeat the exact recorded lines in pairs.
Show a sample answer
Workplace: A leaves with お先に失礼します。 B replies お疲れ様でした。 Friends: A says じゃあね、また明日。 B replies またね。 The line with また明日 mentions tomorrow.
The four recordings are two short exchanges, not one four-turn conversation. In the workplace pair, the person leaving uses お先に失礼します and the colleague staying replies お疲れ様でした. In the friends' pair, また明日 means 'see you tomorrow.' Practice each pair separately and keep the roles clear.
Choose your goodbye by relationship and setting: 失礼します for polite exits, お先に失礼します when leaving before others, and じゃあね or またね with friends. Practice the workplace and friends' dialogue pairs separately, then check who is leaving and which line means 'see you tomorrow.'
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Japanese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr