Spanish word

chau

Pronunciation

IPA/tʃau/

Meaning

  • interjectionsee you

Example

Te llamo mañana, chau.

I'll call you tomorrow, see you.

Illustration for chau (see you)

More examples

Entró, saludó y se fue diciendo chau.

He came in, greeted, and left saying 'see you'.

Core concept

One-word informal parting remark for ending a call or leaving.

Common phrases

  • decir chau

    say 'see you'

  • chau, nos vemos

    see you, see you

  • chau, hasta pronto

    see you, see you soon

Similar words

adiós: Common parting expression for saying farewell, appropriate in many everyday and formal settings.
chao: Colloquial short farewell favored in speech, often written chao and directed at close contacts.
hasta luego: Goodbye that presumes a future meeting, often used when a return encounter is expected.
nos vemos: Informal goodbye meaning 'we will meet again', used to end encounters with a casual promise.

Definition in Spanish

Expresa una despedida corta y amigable.

Word origin

A loanword from Italian ciao and ultimately from Venetian, chau arrives in Spanish via everyday social use as a concise friendly parting word.

Usage tips

  • Pronounced approximately /tʃaw/ (like chow) with a short falling tone, chau is common in casual speech and normally avoided in polite or formal settings.

Other meanings

  • goodbyeinterjection

Opposites

  • holahellointerjection

Word lists with this word