さようなら

Japanese
Japanese phrasebook
This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on usefulness, simplicity and commonness.

Alternative forms

Etymology

Shortening of earlier 左様ならば (sayō naraba), itself a compound of 左様 (sayō, “like that, that way”) +‎ ならば (naraba, “if”, now somewhat archaic, often replaced by なら (nara)).[1] Literally “if that's the way it is”.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) さよーなら​ [sàyóónáráꜜ] (Odaka – [5])[2]
  • IPA(key): [sa̠jo̞ːna̠ɾa̠]
  • Audio(file)

Interjection

さようなら (rōmaji sayōnara)

  1. (formal and final) a farewell: so long, adieu, goodbye

Usage notes

This term has strong connotations of finality, so this is not used when departing a place such as one's home, unless one intends not to return in the foreseeable future.

Synonyms

Use of these terms depends on the situation.

Derived terms

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.