Do Japanese people really say sayōnara?

Yes, but less than textbooks suggest. Students say it to teachers at the end of the day, and it suits a goodbye that may be for a long time. Day to day, friends say じゃあね or またね, and at work people say 失礼します.

What does mata ne mean?

またね (mata ne) means see you, literally again, okay? It is the casual goodbye when you will meet again. また明日 (mata ashita) is see you tomorrow, and the polite version is ではまた (dewa mata).

How do you say see you later in Japanese?

またあとで (mata ato de) for later the same day, また明日 (mata ashita) for tomorrow, and またね for some time soon.

How do you say goodbye at work in Japanese?

Leaving before others, say お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu); they answer お疲れさまでした (otsukaresama deshita). Leaving a meeting or someone's office, say 失礼します.

Goodbye in Japanese: sayōnara, mata ne and more. Naraio

Goodbye in Japanese is さようなら (sayōnara), but it sounds final, and people use it less than textbooks suggest. Friends say じゃあね (jā ne) or またね (mata ne), see you, and at work you leave with 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu).

さようなら

Romaji: sayōnara
Meaning: goodbye

Polite and casual

Form	Who and when
さようならsayōnaraNeutral	Students to a teacher at the end of the day, or a goodbye that may be for a long time.
じゃあねjā neCasual	Bye, to friends and family.
またねmata neCasual	See you, when you will meet again.
失礼しますshitsurei shimasuPolite	Leaving an office, a teacher's room, or a call with someone senior.
お先に失礼しますosaki ni shitsurei shimasuPolite	Leaving work before your coworkers.

When to use it

With friends, family and classmates, the everyday goodbye is じゃあね, またね, or バイバイ (baibai), borrowed from English bye bye. In schools, students say さようなら to the teacher together at the end of the day; that is where most people use it.

At work and with anyone senior, the goodbye is 失礼します, literally I am being rude: a small apology for leaving. Leaving before others, say お先に失礼します, and they answer お疲れさまでした (otsukaresama deshita), thank you for your work.

When not to

さようなら to a friend you will see tomorrow can sound cold or final; between a couple it can sound like a breakup.

じゃあね and バイバイ are too casual for a boss, a teacher or a customer.

Examples

じゃあね、また明日！
Reading: じゃあね、またあした！
Romaji: jā ne, mata ashita!
Bye, see you tomorrow!
先生、さようなら。
Reading: せんせい、さようなら。
Romaji: sensei, sayōnara.
Goodbye, teacher.
お先に失礼します。
Reading: おさきにしつれいします。
Romaji: osaki ni shitsurei shimasu.
I'll be going now. (Leaving work before others.)
お疲れさまでした。
Reading: おつかれさまでした。
Romaji: otsukaresama deshita.
Thanks for your hard work. (The reply.)
またね！気をつけてね。
Reading: またね！きをつけてね。
Romaji: mata ne! ki o tsukete ne.
See you! Take care.

bunka · culture

Goodbyes in Japan often last until the guest is out of sight. Hosts walk visitors to the door or the street and keep bowing or waving as they leave, and in good shops and inns the staff do the same. This seeing off has a name: (omiokuri).

Common mistakes

Saying さようなら to friends every day. It sounds like a long goodbye; use じゃあね or またね.
Saying じゃあね to your boss. Use 失礼します.
Saying ご苦労さまでした to someone senior. It is said to people who work for you; to coworkers and seniors, say お疲れさまでした.

Say it out loud, with feedback

Knowing a phrase is not the same as saying it. In Naraio you practice phrases like these in short role plays with Hana, a tutor who listens, answers in natural Japanese and scores your pronunciation, and spaced reviews bring them back before they fade.

Goodbye in Japanese