さようなら

Japanese

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
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