“Goodbye” in Chinese: how to say it and how to write it
Goodbye
"Goodbye" in Chinese is 再见, zàijiàn, roughly "dzai-jyen". Literally it means "see again", very much like "see you" in English. The same word also covers "bye": 再见 works for your boss and for your best friend.
What the word is made of
- 再zàiagain, once more
- 见jiànto see, to meet
Both syllables have the fourth tone: the voice drops twice, short and firm, like a decisive "No!". 再 is "again", the same word as in 再说一遍, "say it again". 见 is "to see, to meet". More on the word itself on its page: 再见.
You hear 再见 everywhere: leaving work, getting out of a taxi or a shop, at the end of a class or a phone call. The word is neutral, neither formal nor overly casual. In traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, it is written 再見: a different character, the same word and the same sound.
How to say "bye" and "see you tomorrow" in Chinese
Any goodbye follows the pattern of 再见: say when you will meet, then add 见, "see you".
- 明天见míngtiānjiànsee you tomorrow
- 回头见huítóujiànsee you later
- 一会儿见yíhuìrjiànsee you in a bit
- 下个星期见xiàgexīngqījiànsee you next week
- 拜拜báibáibye-bye (casual)
拜拜 is simply the English "bye-bye" written in Chinese characters. Friends say it, and it ends phone calls and chats. With a teacher or at a business meeting, stick to 再见.
What people say when a guest leaves
- 慢走mànzǒutake care; literally "walk slowly"
- 路上小心lùshangxiǎoxīnbe careful on the way
慢走 is said by the one who stays: the host to a guest, a shop assistant to a customer. Nobody is asking you to slow down; it is a wish for a safe trip home, like "take care". The person leaving answers with a plain 再见.
In the evening, before bed, the goodbye changes: . It has its own page, "Good night in Chinese".
How to reply to 再见
With the same word: 再见, 再见. Or more precisely, if you know when you'll meet again: 明天见. Hello and goodbye are the first two phrases of any conversation; for the first one, see "Hello in Chinese".
Common mistakes
The first is reading z like the English z in "zoo". The pinyin z is "dz", as in "kids", and j is close to the j in "jeep" with the tongue flat: "dzai-jyen", not "zai-jan". The second is lifting the voice at the end, the way a friendly "bye!" goes up in English. Both tones fall; raise the second syllable and the word stops sounding like itself. The third is looking for a separate word for "farewell": everyday Chinese doesn't need one, and 再见 is said even when you don't expect to meet again.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “goodbye” in Chinese?
“Goodbye” in Chinese is 再见, in pinyin zàijiàn.
How do you pronounce 再见?
再见 is read zàijiàn. The marks over the vowels are the tones: each syllable has its own melody, so listen to the recording on this page and repeat it.
How do you write “goodbye” in Chinese characters?
再见 is 2 characters. What each one means and how the phrase is put together is explained on this page.
What does 再见 mean?
再见 (zàijiàn) means “goodbye”.
From hello to goodbye
In the first lessons you say hello, introduce yourself and say goodbye, out loud, with a pronunciation check. Five minutes a lesson, free during the beta.
Start for free