How to say "farewell" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- interjectionThe everyday spoken goodbye: what you actually say when parting from someone, covering the 'goodbye' and 'farewell' senses. It is an utterance, not a word for the parting itself.
- interjectionA grand, declamatory farewell with a theatrical or literary flavor — the sort heard in stirring speeches and period drama — rather than the word for an ordinary goodbye.
- 別れわかれnounA noun for the parting or separation itself — the event of people going separate ways — rather than a spoken goodbye, as in the sadness of parting.
- 告別こくべつnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbA formal noun for the act of bidding someone farewell or taking leave of them; it names the act itself, not the words you speak, and is not a casual spoken goodbye.
- 送別そうべつsuru verb, transitive verb, no-adjectiveA noun for the send-off given to someone who is leaving — the farewell as seen from the side of the people seeing them off, as when coworkers mark a colleague's departure.
Use 「さようなら」 for the goodbye you actually say, 「さらば」 for a grand or dramatic parting, and the nouns 「別れ」, 告別 and 送別 for the parting, the leave-taking and the send-off themselves.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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