---
title: "How to Say \"Goodbye\" in Russian: До свидания & Пока"
description: "How to say \"goodbye\" in Russian: до свидания (do svidániya) formally, пока (poká) informally. When to use each, pronunciation, examples and audio."
canonical: "https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/how-to-say/goodbye"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-06-13T18:41:48.000Z"
modified: "2026-11-02T10:04:45.000Z"
author: "Daily Cyrillic"
---

# How to Say "Goodbye" in Russian

By [Daily Cyrillic](/about) · Updated 2 Nov 2026

“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)

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

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

### Practice deck

1 / 5

## 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.

## Turn this guide into words you can use

Build a free Russian set for this topic, with examples and ElevenLabs AI audio.

[All Russian phrases](/learn/russian-phrases)

## More phrases to say

-   [
    
    How to Say "Good Morning"
    
    доброе утро (dóbroye útro)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/good-morning)
-   [
    
    How to Say "How Are You"
    
    как дела? (kak delá?)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/how-are-you)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Good Night"
    
    спокойной ночи (spokóynoy nóchi)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/good-night)
-   [
    
    How to Say "What Is Your Name"
    
    как тебя зовут? (kak tebyá zovút?)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/what-is-your-name)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Happy Birthday"
    
    с днём рождения (s dnyom rozhdéniya)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/happy-birthday)
-   [
    
    How to Say "Cheers"
    
    за здоровье (za zdoróvye)
    
    ](/learn/how-to-say/cheers)
-   [
    
    Common Russian Phrases
    
    The phrases hub: greetings, courtesy, questions and more.
    
    ](/learn/russian-phrases)
-   [
    
    Russian Greetings
    
    Hello, times of day, goodbye and how are you - with audio.
    
    ](/learn/russian-greetings)

Source: https://dailycyrillic.com/learn/how-to-say/goodbye