German words for kids · Greetings & manners
How to say “goodbye” in German
Kids say goodbye many times a day: at nursery drop-off, at the end of a call, when the bath water drains away. Every one is a chance to practise.
Goodbye in German
auf Wiedersehen
Sounds like ≈ owf VEE-der-zay-en
Good to know: Auf Wiedersehen is the polite goodbye. Among family and friends almost everyone says tschüss (CHÜSS), and bis später means "see you later".
Hear it in a song
Real lines from our German songs, with the English meaning shown in the app:
Tschüss! Bis später! Auf Wiedersehen!
Bye! See you later! Goodbye!
from Auf Wiedersehen, Freunde (Goodbye, Friends)
Auf Wiedersehen, kleine Krabbeltiere!
Goodbye, little bugs!
from Kleine Krabbeltiere (Little Bugs)
Ding-ding, auf Wiedersehen!
Ding-ding, goodbye!
from Nächste Haltestelle! (Next Stop!)
The song that teaches it
“Goodbye” is one of the key words in this song. Every line is shown in German with its English meaning.
Also sung in: Hallo, wie geht's?, Rot wie ein Apfel, Die Katze und der Hund, Dschungeltiere, Mama und Papa, Ich hab dich lieb, Zwei Hände, zwei Füße, Ein roter Apfel and 12 more.
Practice ideas for parents
- 1Wave auf Wiedersehen to the bath water as it goes down the drain.
- 2At drop-off, swap your usual goodbye for auf Wiedersehen; it becomes a small shared ritual.
- 3Play "shop": each customer gets a hello on the way in and auf Wiedersehen on the way out.
Related German words
“Goodbye” in other languages
Sing it in German, free
The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.
About the pronunciation: the “sounds like” spellings are rough English approximations for parents (capital letters show the stressed syllable). Germanhas sounds English doesn't, so treat them as a starting point and let the songs be the model. Songs are original and produced with AI music tools. Ideas for using German songs with your family.