Ichimon Japan Podcasts

Does “hai” mean “bye” in Japanese? (The many ways to say “goodbye” in Japanese) | Ichimon Japan 24

By Tony R. Vega

Posted on September 7, 2020

8 min read

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Today’s Question

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Does “hai” mean “bye” in Japanese?

Topics Discussed

How most people that don’t speak Japanese would say “goodbye” in Japanese
How sayonara/sayōnara is used fairly infrequently in Japanese
Reasons why people in Japan tend not to use sayonara/sayōnara frequently
The etymology of sayonara/sayōnara
When the first written record of the term that would become sayonara dates to
what the literal meaning of sayō dearu naraba is
Common ways that people say “goodbye” in Japanese
The usage of osaki ni shitsurei shimasu when leaving the workplace
The literal meaning of osaki ni shitsurei shimasu
The meaning of otsukaresama
How friends in Japan miht say “goodbye” to each other
The term baibai
Ittekimasu and itterasshai
Bubble-era Japanese slang
The antiquated slang term baibī
How baibī was translated into English when Pac-Man was localized for the U.S.
What gyaru is
Gyaru slang (gyarugo)
Using baibaikīn to say goodbye
All about Anpanman and Baikinman
The massive popularity of Anpanman
How Baikinman may be the first gyaru
How “hai” can be used to end a verbal interaction (in other words say “goodbye”) in Japanese
How many people incorrectly assume that “hai” simply means “yes”
The misconception that “iie” is simply the Japanese equivalent of “no”
The strange way in which “iie” and Japanese in general was used in the old Marvel comics featuring Wolverine in Japan
Using hai as a way to signal that you are listening
How misunderstanding hai can make answering negative questions in Japanese confusing
The importance of learning things in context when you are studying a foreign language
And much more!

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Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are some of the English-language articles that were used during the research for this episode.

These are some of the Japanese-language articles used as sorces for this episode.

To listen to the latest episodes of the Japan Station podcast, use the links below.

Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen’s WWWJDIC.

Sayōnara
- さようなら (int) farewell; adieu; goodbye; so long
Kutabare
- くたばれ (exp) (vulg) (ktb:) drop dead!; go to hell!; fuck you!; shove it!
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu
- お先に失礼します【おさきにしつれいします】 (exp) (used when leaving a workplace while others remain) pardon me for leaving (first)
Otsukaresama
- お疲れ様 : お疲れ様(P); お疲れさま(P); 御疲れ様【おつかれさま】 (exp) (1) thank you; many thanks; much appreciated; (2) that’s enough for today
Ja ne
- じゃね (int) (fam) see you then; bye; ciao
Baibai
- バイバイ (int) (1) bye-bye; good-bye; see you; so long; (n,vs) (2) saying goodbye; parting
Ittekimasu
- いってき (int) (col) bye; see ya (afterwards); have fun; get going, now
Itterashai
- いってらっしゃい (int) have a good day; take care; see you
Mata na
- またね (exp) good-bye; see you later
Baibī
- バイビー (int) (col) (See バイバイ・1) bye-bye; good-bye; see you; so long
Gyaru
- ギャル (n) (1) gyaru (eng: gal); (young) woman adhering to a fashion trend usually marked by brown or blond-dyed hair, gaudy clothes and accessories; (2) gal
Baikin
- 黴菌 : ばい菌(P); バイ菌; 黴菌【ばいきん(ばい菌,黴菌)(P); バイきん(バイ菌)】 (n) (1) (col) germ; germs; bacteria; mold; mould; (2) (used figuratively) something harmful; vermin
Kabi
- カビ : 黴【かび(P); カビ】 (n) (uk) mold; mould; mildew; (P); 《verb stem》カビる : 黴びる; 黴る【かびる; カビる】 ; (v1,vi) (uk) to get moldy (mouldy); to get musty; to develop mildew
Iya
- いや (int) (1) why; oh; (2) no!; quit it!; stop!
Kya
- キャー : きゃっ; キャー; ぎゃあ; キャッ; きゃあ; ギャー; ぎゃっ; ギャッ (int) (1) (expressing surprise, pain, fear, or disgust) yikes!; eek!; ouch!; blech; (adv) (2) (きゃあ only) (on-mim) (monkey screech) ook; eek

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We’re always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to ichimon@japankyo.com.