sayonara

American  

[sahy-uh-nahr-uh, sah-yaw-nah-rah] / ˌsaɪ əˈnɑr ə, ˈsɑ jɔˈnɑ rɑ /

interjection

1. farewell; goodbye.

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Etymology

Origin of sayonara

First recorded in 1860–65; from Japanese sayō-nara, shortening of sayō-naraba, equivalent to sayō “thus” + naraba “if it be”

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Explanation

The word sayonara means "goodbye" or "farewell." When you are seeing your friend off at the airport, you can wave and say, "Sayonara!" Sayonara is a casual way to say goodbye, similar to phrases like "so long" or "see ya!" You might say sayonara to your traveling grandmother, or say sayonara to a terrible job at the end of a long summer. It's a Japanese word that has been a popular informal word in English since the late 1800s. It literally means "if it is to be that way," combining sayo, "that way," and nara, "if."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sayonara

“I never really wanted to do one because I always thought it was like a bit of a farewell, like a sayonara, a swan song,” the lead singer and songwriter says.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

And everything about Thursday’s stop at Capital One Arena sure looked and sounded like sayonara.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 19, 2021

The boss has spoken: We’re leaving, pronto, sayonara, gone for good.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2019

After years of staying put in jobs that may have been uninspiring, unrewarding or even flat-out soul-crushing, more Americans are choosing to say sayonara to their current place of work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2016

The seamstress shrieked "sayonara" and pelted space with the peas.

From The Dragon Painter by Mary McNeil Fenollosa

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