【Learn Chinese】Different Ways to Say Bye in Chinese (Part 1)

There are a lot of useful phrases that you can learn for bidding someone farewell. In today’s article, we’re going to walk you through 17 ways to say goodbye in Chinese, including casual and more formal ways.
This is part one of our article.

#1 再见  zàijiàn
The first way of saying goodbye in Chinese that most students learn is 再见 zàijiàn. There’s a reason students all start off with this phrase. It’s a very common, standard way of saying goodbye to someone. You can use this in almost every situation and in any level of formality.

#2 拜拜  bài bài
This one should be pretty easy to remember, as it sounds exactly like, “bye bye!” This phrase is a loanword that has been adapted from English and is increasingly common amongst people of all ages – these days you might hear it more often that 再见！We’d recommend using it in friendly, relaxed or informal situations.
The character 拜 originally meant to pay a visit or to worship – but in the context of wishing someone farewell, there’s no relation to the original meaning! Another variation you might encounter is 拜了 bài le, whose usage is the same.

#3 我先走了  wǒ xiān zǒule
This is a great one to learn for when leaving the office! Literally, 我先走了 translates into ‘I go first’. However, its meaning is closer to ‘I’ve got to go’ or ‘I’ve gotta run’. It can be used if you need to leave before someone else and can be combined with 拜拜 bài bài.

#4 我不得不说再见了  wǒ bùdé bù shuō zàijiànle
This is a great phrase for expressing that you don’t want to go, but you simply have to. Maybe save it for when you want to show off though – this one isn’t commonly used in daily life!

#5 我要说再见了! 因为我还有事  wǒ yào shuō zàijiànle! Yīnwèi wǒ hái yǒushì
This means “I have to say goodbye because I have things to do” and is a great way to exit a conversation without looking rude.
”有事” yǒushì means you have something to deal with. Alternatively, you can add a more specific reason after “因为” yīnwèi, which means ‘because’ – but 有事 will usually suffice! You can use this in most situations, including with friends or at the workplace.

#6 周末愉快  zhōumò yúkuài
If Friday is here, 5 o’clock is on the horizon and you want to wish your colleagues or classmates a happy weekend, this is the phrase for you! This means ‘have a great weekend’.

#7 晚安  wǎn’ān
Just like 周末愉快 (zhōumò yúkuài), this one is time-specific. 晚安 means goodnight, so you can use this one when you’re heading home later in the evening.

#8 挂了啊  guà le a
Just like how Chinese people have a specific word to answer the phone (喂? Wèi?), there’s also a specific word for hanging up the phone. To let someone know you’re about to hang up the phone, you can say 挂了啊. Equally, if you hear this phrase, don’t be surprised when the phone call suddenly ends!

#9 有空再聊  yǒu kòng zài liáo
This phrase means ‘Let’s talk when you’re free‘. Sometimes you’ll catch people at an inconvenient time and might have to agree to rendezvous at a later time when they’re more free to talk. In that instance, using this sentence is a quick and polite way to convey that intention.