Tschüss

Tschüss is an informal German farewell interjection used to say goodbye. It is common in German-speaking countries, especially in casual settings among friends, family, and colleagues. It can be spoken aloud at the end of a conversation or written as a closing salutation in informal notes or messages. In formal or official contexts, speakers typically use Auf Wiedersehen or similar formulations.

Variants and regional usage include Tschüss, Tschüs, and affectionate diminutives such as Tschüssi or Tschüsschen. Regional alternatives include Tschau or Ciao, borrowed from Italian, and Servus in Austria and parts of southern Germany. In Swiss German, Tschüss is widely understood, while more formal or bilingual contexts may favor Adieu or Auf Wiedersehen.

Pronunciation and orthography: The form is written with the digraph Tsch- to represent the [t͡ʃ] sound, followed by Ü and a final s sound. It is typically pronounced roughly like “tshüss,” with the ü as in the word über. The final s is the standard s-sound in this context; some spellings use Tschüs, but Tschüss is the most common in standard German.

Etymology: The exact origin is uncertain. The term appears as a casual farewell in German-speaking areas and likely evolved through dialectal speech. One widely cited hypothesis connects it to regional forms such as Tschau and possible influence from the Italian greeting cia o (via related forms), but there is no definitive consensus on its derivation.

See also: Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu, Servus, Ciao (farewell)