Question
We were in the middle of a group discussion, but my Japanese friend had to go for her consultation with her lecturer. We were going to continue our discussion again later in the afternoon. How do I say “See you later” in Japanese?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
じゃ、また（ね）。
Ja, mata (ne)
See you later.
じゃあね
Jaa ne
See you.
またね
Mata ne
See you later.
では、また。
Dewa mata
See you later (formal)
またあとで
Mata ato de
See you later
“See you later” can be casual or formal depending on your relationship with the other party. The first three phrases are more casual and are usually used between close friends or family members.
Ja means something like “well then” and mata means “again” so ja mata literally means “well then, see you again”. You can add ne at the end to make the expression sound softer.
Jaa ne and mata ne are variations of the first phrase. Dewa is the formal version of ja, so saying dewa mata makes the expression a little more formal.
If you really want to use the word for “later” which is “ato”, you can also say mata ato de.
