さらば

さ

ら

ば

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Archaic or highly formal parting word; in modern Japanese it sounds theatrical, literary, or old-fashioned. Not used in everyday conversation.

さらば、友ともよ。
Farewell, my friend.

conjunction

if so; in that case; then

usually written using kana alonedated term

Dated conjunction used in formal or written contexts; equivalent to modern それなら or だったら. Often seen in older literature or formal arguments.

さらば、こうしよう。
If so, let's do this.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

然sort of thing, so, if so

Related words

さようならN4sense 1
さようなら is the standard modern farewell used in everyday speech, while さらば is archaic and theatrical, reserved for dramatic or literary contexts.
それならN4sense 2
それなら is the common modern way to say 'if so; in that case', whereas さらば in this sense is a dated, formal conjunction found mainly in old literature.
だったらN3sense 2
だったら is a casual, conversational equivalent for 'if that's the case', while さらば as a conjunction is stiff, archaic, and rarely heard in speech.

Don't confuse with

おさらば sense 1
おさらば is a casual modern expression (often おさらばする) meaning 'to part ways/say goodbye', unlike the plain archaic interjection さらば used alone as a formal farewell.

Written forms

さらばUsage100%
Standard kana spelling; the kanji form 然らば is rare and mostly historical.
然さらば
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; learners will almost always encounter the kana spelling.

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese 然らば (さらば), originally a conditional form of 然り (さり, 'to be so'). The interjection use developed from the conjunction sense.