Goodbye in Persian: Khodâhâfez and 25 Ways to Say Farewell

The standard way to say goodbye in Persian is خداحافظ (khodâhâfez), literally “God protect you.” Iranians say it to everyone, from close friends to shopkeepers, and in fast speech it shrinks to خدافظ (khodâfez). For “see you later,” say فعلاً (fe’lan) or می‌بینمت (mibinamet). The usual reply is simply خداحافظ back.

That is enough to leave any room politely. But a Persian goodbye is often more than one word. People wish you a safe trip, ask you to text when you get home, send greetings to your family, and at the door of a house the goodbye can turn into a small, friendly negotiation. Below you will find each phrase in Persian script with pronunciation, notes on who says it and when, the replies you will hear, and practice after each section.

Goodbye in Persian: the quick list

These are the phrases you will hear most, roughly from the most common to the most formal.

Khodâhâfez: the goodbye everyone uses

خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) Listen is made of two words: خدا (khodâ), the Persian word for God, and حافظ (hâfez), an Arabic loanword meaning “protector” or “keeper.” So the phrase means something like “God be your protector.” In daily life, though, it carries no more religious weight than English “goodbye,” which itself comes from “God be with you.” Religious and non-religious Iranians alike say it dozens of times a day.

You will hear it in two shapes:

• Careful form: خداحافظ (khodâhâfez), as written.
• Everyday spoken form: خدافظ (khodâfez) Listen, with the middle syllable swallowed. This is how most people actually say it. It also shows up in text messages, but in anything formal, write خداحافظ.

Khodâhâfez is the one goodbye you can never get wrong: it works with your boss, your grandmother, a taxi driver and a friend. The answer is the same word. One person says خداحافظ, the other says خداحافظ back, often with a small extra such as به سلامت (be salâmat), covered below. Iranians also use the noun خداحافظی (khodâhâfezi), “a goodbye, the act of saying goodbye,” as in خداحافظی کردم (khodâhâfezi kardam), “I said goodbye.”

For a short vocabulary entry on the word, see Khodâhâfez, the Persian word for goodbye, and to hear it inside a real exchange, try Persian Conversation 2: How to Say Goodbye in Persian.

Casual goodbyes: fe’lan, mibinamet, tâ ba’d and bây

Among friends, classmates and coworkers, a full khodâhâfez can feel a little stiff on its own. These shorter phrases are what you will hear in the street and in group chats.

Fe’lan: “bye for now”

فعلاً (fe’lan) Listen literally means “for now” or “for the time being.” Said alone as a goodbye, it means “bye for now, talk soon.” It is relaxed and friendly, and it implies you will see or talk to the person again before long. Many people pair it with khodâhâfez: فعلاً خداحافظ (fe’lan khodâhâfez), “bye for now.” In speech the ‘ sound (from the letter ع) is light, so many people say something close to “felan.”

Mibinamet: “see you”

می‌بینمت (mibinamet) Listen means “I’ll see you.” The ending ـت (-et) is the informal “you,” so use it only with people you call تو (to): friends, siblings, partners, kids. With someone you address as شما (shomâ), the polite form is می‌بینمتون (mibinametun), but most people just say khodâhâfez in that situation. You can add a time: فردا می‌بینمت (fardâ mibinamet), “see you tomorrow.”

Tâ ba’d and tâ fardâ: “until later,” “until tomorrow”

تا (tâ) means “until,” so تا بعد (tâ ba’d) Listen is “until later” and تا فردا (tâ fardâ) is “until tomorrow.” They are casual and are very often combined with khodâhâfez: خداحافظ، تا فردا (khodâhâfez, tâ fardâ). Note that ba’d (“later”) has nothing to do with the English word “bad.”

Bây: borrowed from English

Young Iranians, especially in cities, often say بای (bây) or بای بای (bây bây), straight from English “bye.” It is fine with friends and in texts, but it sounds too casual for elders, teachers or anyone formal. For more words like this, see our guide to Persian slang.

Ma raftim: “we’re off”

When leaving a group, people often announce it with ما رفتیم (mâ raftim), literally “we left,” even when only one person is going. It is spoken and friendly, a bit like “I’m off” or “I’m out.” It is usually followed by khodâhâfez.

Polite and formal goodbyes

In formal settings Persian has a few goodbyes that sound more refined than khodâhâfez.

• خدانگهدار (khodâ negahdâr) Listen: “may God keep you.” Both parts are Persian: نگهدار (negahdâr) means “keeper,” from نگه داشتن (negah dâshtan), “to keep.” It is polite and slightly old-fashioned, so you will hear it from older people, from radio and TV presenters at the end of a program, and in formal speeches. It is also written خدا نگهدار with a space.
• به امید دیدار (be omid-e didâr) Listen: “in hope of meeting [again].” امید (omid) is “hope” and دیدار (didâr) is “a meeting, seeing each other.” It is warm and polite, and suits the end of a trip, a course, or a TV show, when the next meeting is not fixed.
• بدرود (bedrud): “farewell.” This is a literary word. You will find it in poetry, song lyrics, film titles and very formal or final farewells. Saying bedrud to a friend at the end of the day would sound like a line from a play, so treat it as a word to recognize rather than to use.

When you are the one leaving a formal meeting or an office, Iranians often ask permission first with با اجازه (bâ ejâze) Listen, “with your permission,” and then say khodâhâfez. It is the polite way to signal “I’ll be going now,” and it works in shops, offices and homes alike.

How to reply to a goodbye

The simplest reply is to repeat خداحافظ. But the person who is staying often adds a short wish for the person who is leaving. These replies are worth learning because you will hear them constantly.

به سلامت (be salâmat) Listen deserves a note: it is said only to the person who is going, never by the person leaving. If a friend says سلام برسون (salâm beresun) Listen, the natural answer is چشم (chashm), “will do” (literally “eye,” meaning “on my eyes, gladly”). And when someone says مواظب خودت باش, answer with مرسی، تو هم همین‌طور (mersi, to ham hamintor), “thanks, you too.” For more ways to say thanks, see thank you in Persian.

Goodbyes for trips, nights and special moments

Iranians rarely send someone off on a journey with a bare khodâhâfez. These phrases fill out the goodbye.

• سفر بخیر (safar bekheyr) Listen: “have a good trip.” سفر (safar) means trip, and بخیر (bekheyr) means “with good,” the same word as in good morning and good night.
• رسیدی خبر بده (residi khabar bede) Listen: “let me know when you get there.” Spoken and very common, especially from parents. It is a real request: people expect a short message when you arrive.
• خوش بگذره (khosh begzare): “have a good time.” Spoken; said to someone heading to a party or on holiday.
• موفق باشی (movaffagh bâshi): “good luck, be successful.” Said before an exam, an interview or a new job; polite form موفق باشید (movaffagh bâshid).
• شب بخیر (shab bekheyr) Listen: “good night,” used when leaving in the evening and before sleep. شب خوش (shab khosh) means the same and sounds a little more formal or poetic.
• روز خوبی داشته باشید (ruz-e khubi dâshte bâshid): “have a nice day.” A newer phrase modeled on English, now common in shops, call centers and polite conversation. Answer with همچنین (hamchenin), “you too.”
• یا علی (yâ ali): literally “O Ali,” a religious phrase that many Iranian men use casually when leaving, a bit like “right, I’m off.” It is informal and mostly heard among men, so recognize it rather than lead with it.

Leaving someone’s home: goodbye and taarof at the door

Saying goodbye after a visit to an Iranian home is rarely quick. It usually comes in stages, and both guest and host follow a polite script shaped by taarof, the Persian art of politeness. Here is a typical exchange:

1. The guest starts: ما دیگه رفع زحمت کنیم (mâ dige raf’-e zahmat konim) Listen, “we should stop being a bother now,” a polite way of saying “we should go.”
2. The host protests: کجا؟ حالا بودید (kojâ? hâlâ budid), “where to? stay a little longer.” This is expected, and it is usually not a real request to stay, so it is fine to thank them and keep getting ready.
3. The guest thanks the host: خیلی زحمت کشیدید (kheyli zahmat keshidid), “you went to a lot of trouble,” or خیلی خوش گذشت (kheyli khosh gozasht), “we had a great time.”
4. The host answers: خواهش می‌کنم (khâhesh mikonam), “please, not at all,” and invites you back: باز هم تشریف بیارید (bâz ham tashrif biârid), “please come again.”
5. At the door, after shoes and coats and often a few more minutes of talk, everyone says خداحافظ, and the host adds به سلامت and often رسیدید خبر بدید (residid khabar bedid), “let us know when you get home.”

Hosts commonly walk guests to the door or even to the car, and the goodbye can stretch over several minutes. Leaving with a single quick word can seem abrupt, so give the farewell a little time.

Saying goodbye on the phone

Phone calls in Persian also wind down in a recognizable way. Before saying goodbye, the caller or the person called often asks کاری نداری؟ (kâri nadâri?) Listen, literally “don’t you have anything [else you need]?” This is the signal that the call is ending. The polite form is کاری ندارید؟ (kâri nadârid?).

The usual answer is نه، قربونت (na, ghorbunet), roughly “no, thanks, dear,” a spoken and affectionate phrase, or with someone more formal, نه، خیلی ممنون (na, kheyli mamnun), “no, thank you very much.” Then both people say khodâhâfez. In more formal calls you may also hear مزاحمتون نمی‌شم (mozâhemetun nemisham), “I won’t take more of your time,” and the answer خواهش می‌کنم (khâhesh mikonam). A short exchange might look like this:

• A: خب، کاری نداری؟ (khob, kâri nadâri?) “Well, anything else?”
• B: نه، قربونت. سلام برسون. (na, ghorbunet. salâm beresun.) “No, thanks. Say hi to everyone.”
• A: چشم. خداحافظ. (chashm. khodâhâfez.) “Will do. Bye.”
• B: خداحافظ. (khodâhâfez.) “Bye.”

Notice how much of this is spoken Persian: قربونت for written قربانت, برسون for برسان. Our guide to spoken vs written Persian explains these sound changes.

Goodbye in writing: texts, emails and letters

In text messages, Iranians write what they say: خدافظ, فعلاً, بای or شب بخیر. In emails and letters, there is usually no “goodbye” word at all. Instead, close with one of these:

• با احترام (bâ ehterâm): “respectfully,” the standard formal sign-off.
• با سپاس (bâ sepâs): “with thanks.”
• ارادتمند (erâdatmand): “devotedly yours,” polite and warm, often in personal letters.

To type any of these yourself, use our free online Persian keyboard, and look up any new word in the Persian dictionary.

Goodbyes are only half of the conversation. For the other half, see our list of Persian greetings and common phrases and how to say “how are you” in Persian. If you want hundreds more everyday expressions like these in one place, the 1000 Most Common Farsi Phrases book groups them by situation.

To keep practicing, try the Persian greetings quiz.

Common questions

What does khoda hafez mean?

خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) means “God protect you” or “God be your protector.” It is the standard goodbye in Persian, used with everyone in every situation, and in daily use it feels as neutral as English “goodbye.”

Is khoda hafez Persian or Arabic?

Both. خدا (khodâ, “God”) is Persian, and حافظ (hâfez, “protector”) is a loanword from Arabic. The combination is a Persian expression, and it has also passed into Urdu as khuda hafiz.

How do you say “see you later” in Persian?

Say می‌بینمت (mibinamet), “I’ll see you,” with friends, or تا بعد (tâ ba’d), “until later.” فعلاً (fe’lan), “bye for now,” is just as common. For tomorrow, say تا فردا (tâ fardâ).

How do you say bye in Persian slang?

Young Iranians say بای (bây) or بای بای (bây bây) from English, or the shortened خدافظ (khodâfez). Among men you will also hear یا علی (yâ ali) when someone heads off.

What is the formal way to say goodbye in Persian?

خداحافظ is already polite enough for any situation. For extra formality, use خدانگهدار (khodâ negahdâr) or به امید دیدار (be omid-e didâr), and start with با اجازه (bâ ejâze) when you leave. بدرود (bedrud) is formal but literary, so it is rare in conversation.

How do you reply to khoda hafez?

Say خداحافظ back. If you are the one staying, you can add به سلامت (be salâmat), “go safely,” or مواظب خودت باش (movâzeb-e khodet bâsh), “take care.”

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