Tchau
chow
How to say itPart of: Goodbyes
“Bye.”
Tchau is the everyday goodbye in Brazil, for everyone and every situation: friends, shops, the phone, a meeting. It comes from the Italian ciao and sounds the same, but is spelled tchau. Doubled, tchau tchau, it is softer, common on the phone and with children. It is only for leaving, never a hello.
Looking for all the ways to say goodbye? Goodbye in Portuguese: the guide
EverydayAll Brazilalso: tchau tchau, xauReply: Tchau!
How Brazilians use it
“Tchau, até amanhã!”
“Bye, see you tomorrow!”
Leaving work or school.
“Tá bom, tchau tchau!”
“OK, bye bye!”
Ending a phone call.
“Obrigada, tchau!”
“Thanks, bye!”
Leaving a shop or a taxi.
“Tchau, se cuida, viu?”
“Bye, take care, OK?”
Warm, to a friend.
How to reply
- Tchau!The same back.
- Até mais!See you.
Similar expressions
- Até logo / até maisSee you later.
- FalouLater, between friends.
- AdeusFarewell: final, rare in Brazil.
- Boa noiteGood night, which is also goodbye after dark.
Brazil vs Portugal
Portugal writes it chau and uses it more casually; adeus and até já are everyday goodbyes there, where Brazil says tchau and até mais.
Common mistakes
- Don’t spell it chau or ciao: in Portuguese it is tchau, with tch.
- Don’t use tchau as hello, the way Italians use ciao: it only means goodbye.
- Don’t reach for adeus instead: it sounds like you are leaving for good.
Frequently asked questions
What does tchau mean in English?
Bye. It is the everyday goodbye in Brazilian Portuguese, for any person and any situation, and the one word you need for leaving.
Why do Brazilians say tchau?
It came from Italian immigrants’ ciao in the late nineteenth century and stuck. Portuguese gave it its own spelling, tchau, and kept only the goodbye half: in Brazil it is never hello.
Is it tchau or ciao?
In Portuguese, tchau. Ciao is the Italian word it came from and sounds the same. Portugal spells it chau.
What is bye bye in Portuguese?
Tchau tchau. Brazilians double it on the phone and with children; it is a little softer than one tchau, and just as correct.