Meaning of 再见
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- goodbye
- see you again later
How to use 再见
再见 is the standard way to say goodbye in almost any situation, from shops to classrooms to phone calls. People often say it twice or add a time word in front. Example: 明天见，再见。(Míngtiān jiàn, zàijiàn.) See you tomorrow, goodbye.
再 (zài) means again and 见 (jiàn) means to see, so 再见 is literally "see again." Think of it as saying you plan to see the person again.
Common mistake: Learners often write 在 (zài, at) instead of 再 (zài, again) because they sound the same. Remember that 再见 uses 再, the "again" character.
再见 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
再 zài · again · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
见 jiàn · to see · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 再见.
| 看见 | kànjiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 听见 | tīngjiàn | to hear |
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other |
| 见到 | jiàndào | to see |
| 意见 | yìjiàn | idea; opinion |
| 见过 | jiànguo | |
| 常见 | cháng jiàn | commonly seen; common |
| 碰见 | pèngjiàn | to run into; to meet (unexpectedly) |
| 遇见 | yùjiàn | to meet |
| 梦见 | mèngjiàn | to dream about (sth or sb); to see in a dream |
| 可见 | kějiàn | it can clearly be seen (that this is the case); it is (thus) clear |
| 一再 | yīzài | repeatedly |
Questions about 再见
What does 再见 mean?
再见 (zàijiàn) means "goodbye; see you again later" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 再见?
再见 is made of 2 characters: 再 (6 strokes), 见 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 再见 an HSK word?
Yes. 再见 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 再见 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 再见 is written 再見.
Is 再见 too formal for friends?
No, 再见 works with anyone. Friends also use casual options like 拜拜 (báibái) or a time phrase such as 回头见 (huítóu jiàn), see you later.
Can 再见 be used when I may never see the person again?
Yes. Even though it literally means "see again," it is used as a general goodbye. For a very final farewell, people sometimes say 保重 (bǎozhòng), take care.