sayonara

Parting in Tokyo

Sayonara is a Japanese word for goodbye, borrowed into English with connotations of finality—a permanent farewell rather than a casual see-you-later.

It often signals the definitive end of something: After that argument, it was sayonara to our friendship.

Sometimes used dismissively: One more screwup and it's sayonara.

farewell

goodbye

Departing salutation

partingAct of leaving another
adieuFormal leave-taking
valedictionFormal parting statement

leave-taking · send-off · bon voyage · au revoir · adios · ciao · arrivederci · shalom · salaam · cheerio

Japanese

farewell

Leave-taking expression

JapanEast Asian archipelago nation
TokyoJapan's capital city
arigatoJapanese expression of gratitude

konnichiwa · kanji · samurai · kimono · geisha · kabuki · sumo · zen · bonsai · origami

finality

ending

Final portion of something

permanentFixed without end
foreverFor all time
finalLast and decisive

irreversible · conclusive · definitive · last · terminal · ultimate · no return · decisive · irrevocable · closing

departure

leaving

Act of going away

goingMoving toward somewhere
exitWay to leave
embarkationBeginning a voyage

journey · voyage · relocation · expatriation · migration · flight · takeoff · boarding · moving on · setting off

Categories

farewellsgoodbye, farewell, bye, adieu, bye-bye
sign-offsgoodbye, farewell, bye, see you later, sincerely
Japanese Greetingskonnichiwa
Japanese wordsanime, bento, bonsai, futon, geisha
goodbyesgoodbye, bye, bye-bye, see ya, byebye
Foreign Wordsadieu, adios, aloha, au revoir, bonjour

Opposites

greeting vs. farewell

sayonarahello

Common spoken greeting

welcome · greetings · hi · konnichiwa · hey

permanence of parting

sayonarasee you later

Informal farewell phrase

until we meet again · see you soon · be right back · catch you later · hasta luego

Family

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G