Do you think first impressions matter? I think they definitely do! Never underestimate the power of a friendly hello and a sincere goodbye! 

In one of our previous articles, we covered different ways of saying hello in Turkish. Now, let’s move forward and discuss how to give the perfect Turkish goodbye in any situation. Like in any other language, there are numerous ways to say goodbye in Turkish, and the one you use depends on the context.

In this article, we’ll teach you many different ways to say goodbye in Turkish so you can leave a good impression. We’ll start with the most common ones! Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE!(Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. The Most Common Ways of Saying Goodbye in Turkish
2. More Specific Ways to Say Goodbye
3. Gestures Used to Say Goodbye in Turkey
4. Practice Your Turkish Language Goodbyes with TurkishClass101!

1. The Most Common Ways of Saying Goodbye in Turkish

In Turkish, there are both formal and informal ways of saying goodbye. In the following sections, we’ll show you the most common ones in each category so you can be sure you’re using the best Turkish word for goodbye in any situation!

A- Informal 

You can use the following Turkish goodbye phrases with friends, family, and other people you’re close to.

Turkish	English	Tips
Baybay.	“Bye-bye.”	This is the easiest one, and it can save you in a pinch if you forget the other ones.
Bay.	“Bye.”	This is usually used among teenagers.
Hoşçakal.	“Goodbye.”	Literally, it means “Stay pleasantly.”
Görüşürüz.	“See you.”	Literally, it means “We see each other.”
Sonra görüşürüz.	“See you later.”	Literally, it means “We see each other later.”
Kendine iyi bak.	“Take care.”	The exact meaning is “Take care of yourself.”

B- Formal 

You can use these expressions when saying goodbye to older people or people you don’t know very well. 

Turkish	English	Tips
Hoşçakalın.	“Goodbye.”	Literally, it means “Stay pleasantly.”
Görüşmek üzere.	“See you.”	Literally, it means “Hope to see you.”
Tekrar görüşmek üzere.	“See you again.”	Literally, it means “Hope to see you again.”
Kendinize iyi bakın.	“Take care.”	Literally, it means “Take care of yourself.”

2. More Specific Ways to Say Goodbye

Now, let’s look at how to say goodbye in Turkish when a generic phrase just won’t do. 

A- Bye until ___. / See you ___.

Here are some useful phrases to use when you know you’ll be seeing the person again: 

Turkish (Informal)	Turkish (Formal)	English
Şimdilik hoşçakal.	Şimdilik hoşçakalın.	“Bye for now.”
Perşembe görüşürüz.	Perşembe görüşmek üzere.	“See you on Thursday.”
Haftaya görüşmek üzere.	Haftaya görüşmek üzere.	“See you next week.”
Salıya dek hoşçakal.	Salıya dek hoşçakalın.	“Bye until Tuesday.”
Cumaya kadar hoşçakal.	Cumaya kadar hoşçakalın.	“Bye until Friday.”

B- When someone is traveling

When you’re seeing someone off, it’s always nice to wish them well during their travels. 

Turkish (Informal)	Turkish (Formal)	English
İyi yolculuklar.	İyi yolculuklar.	“Have a good trip.”
Güle güle git, güle güle gel.	Güle güle gidin, güle güle gelin.	The literal translation is “Go by laughing, come by laughing.”
Yolun açık olsun.	Yolunuz açık olsun.	“May your way be open.”
Allah’a emanet ol.	Allah’a emanet olun.	“May Allah be with you.”

C- Saying goodbye on the phone

When you’re ending a phone call, you can use any of these phrases to say goodbye, regardless of how formal or informal the situation is:

• İyi günler. (“Have a good day.” / Literally: “Good days”)
• İyi akşamlar. (“Have a good evening.” / Literally: “Good evenings”)
• İyi geceler. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “Good nights”)

Keep in mind that these phrases aren’t limited to phone calls; you can also use them when saying goodbye in other situations.

And here are two phrases you can only use in informal situations:

• Öptüm. (“I kissed you.”)
• Öpüyorum. (“I kiss you.”)

D- Saying goodbye forever 

If you’re saying goodbye to someone you may never see again, there are a few ways you can wish them well for the last time:

• Elveda. (“Farewell.”)
• Yolun açık olsun. (“May your way be open.”)
• Allah’a emanet ol. (“May Allah be with you.”)

E- When you have to leave

If you have to head off somewhere, but someone else is staying behind, you can use this phrase:

• Allahaısmarladık. (“Bye-bye.” / Literally: “Entrust you to God.”)

If you’ve been invited to someone’s home and it’s time to leave, you can say goodbye with one of these phrases:

• Bize de bekleriz. (“Visit us, too.” / Literally: “We wait for you to our place as well.”)
• Bize de buyrun. (“Visit us, too.” / Literally: “We wait for you to our place as well.”)

F- When someone else is leaving

If you’re seeing someone off, you can say: 

• Güle güle. (“Goodbye.”)

If someone has visited you at your house, and they need to leave now, you can say:

• Yine bekleriz. (“Come again.” / Literally: “We wait for you again.”)

G- Other situations

When someone is going on vacation or leaving for a holiday, you can say:

• İyi tatiller. (“Have a good vacation.”)

When someone is going to a social event such as a party, a concert, or a movie, you can say:

• İyi eğlenceler. (“Have fun.”)

When you, or the person you’re talking to, is going to bed, you can say:

• İyi geceler. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “good nights”)
• İyi uykular. (“Sleep well.” / Literally: “good sleeps”)
• Allah rahatlık versin. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “May Allah give you comfort.”)

When saying goodbye in the Turkish language, don’t forget to throw in some slang if you’re with friends! 

• Kaçmam lazım. (“I have to run.” / Literally: “I have to escape.”)
• Ben çıktım. (“I’m leaving.” / Literally: “I’m out.”)
• Ben gittim. (“I’m gone.” / Literally: “I went.”)

We covered a lot of words and phrases! To hear and practice their pronunciation, please refer to the audio recordings in our “Goodbye in Turkish” vocabulary list. 

3. Gestures Used to Say Goodbye in Turkey

In most cultures, people have certain gestures they use when saying goodbye, and Turkey is no different! 

There are many gestures that you’re likely familiar with already: 

• Waving to a friend or family member
• Blowing a kiss to someone you’re close to
• Giving someone you’re close to a kiss on the cheek or a hug 
• Shaking hands with people you don’t know well

But there are quite a few gestures that are unique to Turkey!

For example, in Turkish culture, it’s completely normal for men to kiss each other on the cheeks when greeting or saying goodbye. To better illustrate why this is so important, let me share one of my memories with you: 

I was living in the U.S., and my parents came to visit me. I had a Turkish friend whose husband was American, and my parents and I got together with them many times. After a while, my dad kissed this gentleman on the cheeks when seeing them off, thinking that they were becoming friends. Guess what? The next day, my friend’s husband kindly asked me to tell my dad not to kiss him again. Although he was familiar with Turkish culture, this parting gesture was very bothersome for him. Of course, we respected his opinion and my dad shook hands with him from then on. If you experience something similar while in Turkey, don’t be surprised!

Another gesture that’s common in Turkey, but not in the U.S., is to kiss someone’s hand and then put that person’s hand on your own forehead. This is done as a symbol of respect when you’re saying hello or goodbye to older people. Some people might prefer not to kiss the hand, and will instead put the hand on their chin and then on their forehead.

4. Practice Your Turkish Language Goodbyes with TurkishClass101!

After reading all of this information on how to say goodbye in Turkish, will you be able to say “goodbye” to me once you reach the end of this article? (I’m sure you can do it!)

If you think you still need to practice your goodbyes, though, you can explore TurkishClass101.com for relevant lessons and materials. And don’t forget our premium MyTeacher program, which allows you to practice one-on-one with a private teacher. 

Is that all? Of course not! TurkishClass101 also has tons of vocabulary lists and other free resources (like this Turkish-English dictionary) to help you get a better grasp of Turkish.

And better still, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

Last but not least, please continue to provide us with feedback about all of the resources provided at TurkishClass101.com!

Hoşçakalın, görüşmek üzere…