How to Say "Goodbye" in Russian

By Daily Cyrillic · Updated

“Goodbye” in Russian is до свидания (do svidániya). Use this expression as your starting point, then check the examples for tone, formality and context. Listen to the pronunciation, notice the stressed syllable and compare the common variants before choosing the wording that fits your conversation.

Reading time: about 2 min.

Russian
до свидания
Transliteration
do svidániya
Meaning
goodbye (formal)

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In Russian

до свидания

do svidániya - goodbye (formal)

Variants & registers

  • покаpoká

    bye - casual, with friends (often doubled: пока-пока)

    informal
  • до встречиdo vstréchi

    see you / until we meet again

    neutral
  • увидимсяuvídimsya

    see you (soon) - casual

    informal
  • спокойной ночиspokóynoy nóchi

    good night - when parting at night

    neutral

Breakdown & pronunciation

Word by word

  • доdo
    until
  • свиданияsvidániya
    meeting / seeing (each other)

Pronunciation

до свидания: stress the дА in свидания - da-svi-DA-ni-ya. пока is pa-KA, stress on the last syllable. The о in пока is unstressed, so it sounds like "a".

Example sentences

  • До свидания! Хорошего дня.

    Do svidániya! Khoróshego dnya.

    Goodbye! Have a nice day.

  • Пока! Увидимся завтра.

    Poká! Uvídimsya závtra.

    Bye! See you tomorrow.

  • До встречи на следующей неделе.

    Do vstréchi na sléduyushchey nedéle.

    See you next week.

  • Спокойной ночи!

    Spokóynoy nóchi!

    Good night!

Usage & etiquette

до свидания literally means "until (our next) meeting" and is the safe, polite goodbye for shops, work and strangers. пока is strictly informal - friendly and warm, but out of place with someone you would address as вы.

до встречи and увидимся both mean roughly "see you" and sit between the two in formality. At night, спокойной ночи ("good night") replaces a plain goodbye.

Practice

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FAQ

How do you say "goodbye" in Russian?
The formal "goodbye" is до свидания (do svidániya). The casual "bye" with friends is пока (poká), often said twice: пока-пока.
When can I use пока?
Use пока with friends, family and people you are on ты terms with. With strangers, elders or in a formal setting, use до свидания instead.

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