How to Say Goodbye in Chinese: 再见 & 10 Casual Ways Natives Actually Use

再见 (zàijiàn) — Word by Word

Put together, 再见 means “(until we) see again” — an optimistic farewell, just like French au revoir or German auf Wiedersehen. It isn't a heavy, final “farewell”; it simply assumes you'll meet again. Both syllables are fourth tone, so both drop firmly in pitch: zài↘ jiàn↘. Watch out for the character 再 (zài, “again”) — it looks and sounds exactly like 在 (zài, “at / -ing”), and swapping them is one of the most common beginner writing mistakes. Hear the tones for each syllable in the Interactive Pinyin Chart.

再见 vs 拜拜 — Which One to Use

The single most useful thing to know: 再见 is the neutral, textbook goodbye, but 拜拜 is what most people actually say to friends. 再见 (zàijiàn) is always safe and correct — teachers, shopkeepers, announcements, and slightly formal partings all use it. But among friends, family, and especially on the phone, native speakers reach for 拜拜 (bàibài), borrowed straight from English “bye-bye.” It's lighter, warmer, and a touch playful.

In fact, to close friends a crisp 再见 can sound slightly stiff or even final — a bit like ending a text to your best friend with “Farewell.” The dictionary pronunciation of 拜拜 is bàibài (two fourth tones), but in relaxed speech many people, especially when signing off a call, lighten it into a sing-song bāibāi.

10 Casual & Everyday Ways to Say Goodbye

Beyond 再见, here are the farewells you'll actually hear day to day, roughly from most casual to most heartfelt:

Goodbye for Every Situation

Leaving someone's home or a shop. The host walks you toward the door or gate and says 慢走 (màn zǒu) or 走好 (zǒu hǎo) — “take care.” The polite thing to say back is 留步 (liúbù, “please stop here”), so your host doesn't trouble themselves to see you all the way out. Shopkeepers call 慢走啊 to nearly every customer who leaves.

Seeing off a traveler. Use 一路顺风 (yílù shùnfēng, “smooth wind the whole way”) or 一路平安 (yílù píng'ān, “peace the whole way”). One superstition worth knowing: 一路顺风 is traditionally avoided for air travel, since a strong wind is bad news for a plane — so for flights, 一路平安 is the safer wish.

Hanging up the phone. 拜拜 rules here, often doubled up: 好的，拜拜，拜拜 (hǎo de, bàibài, bàibài). To announce you're ending the call, 我挂了 (wǒ guà le, “I'm hanging up”).

Parting at night. 晚安 (wǎn'ān, “good night”) doubles as a goodbye when the day is over — in person or as the last message before sleep.

Formal or dramatic. To excuse yourself politely from a gathering, 失陪了 (shīpéi le, “forgive me for leaving”). For a weighty, literary “until we meet again,” there's 后会有期 (hòuhuì yǒuqī) — the stuff of period dramas and heartfelt goodbyes.

Internet slang. Besides 88, younger users type 溜了溜了 (liū le liū le, “slipping off now”) to bow out of a chat, or a simple 撤了 (chè le, “I'm out”).

How to Pronounce the Key Farewells

Note the tone change in 一路顺风: 一 is normally first tone (yī), but before the fourth-tone 路 (lù) it shifts to second tone — yí. The same rule turns 一会儿 into yíhuìr. You can practice these in full sentences with our English to Chinese Translator.

How to Respond to a Goodbye

The general rule is simple: echo the same farewell back. If a friend says 拜拜, you say 拜拜; if they say 明天见, you say 明天见. The only ones that take a different reply are the courtesy pairs — 慢走 → 留步 and a well-wishing 一路顺风 → 谢谢.

Hear every tone above in the Interactive Pinyin Chart, practice whole sentences in our English to Chinese Translator, and start your conversations off right with How to Say Hello in Chinese.