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Meaning & use

ciao ciao

interjection, noun·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌtʃaʊ ˈtʃaʊ/
US/ˌtʃaʊ ˈtʃaʊ/

Meanings

  1. interjectioninformal

    A cheerful, informal way of saying goodbye, often used when you are leaving someone you like.

    Grammar: Used on its own as a complete farewell; doubling the word makes it sound warmer and more playful than a single 'ciao'.

    Patterns

    • ciao ciao, see you later
    • say ciao ciao to someone

    Ciao ciao, I'll call you when I get home.

    She waved from the bus and called out, 'Ciao ciao!'

    Ciao ciao, everyone — see you at the party on Friday.

  2. nouncountableinformal

    An informal, friendly farewell, especially one said in a lively or affectionate way.

    Grammar: Usually appears in the singular with 'a' or 'the'; the plural 'ciao ciaos' is rare and sounds awkward, so learners should avoid it.

    Patterns

    • a quick ciao ciao
    • with a ciao ciao

    He gave us a quick ciao ciao and slipped out the door.

    Her goodbye was a cheerful ciao ciao rather than a serious handshake.

Common combinations

say ciao ciao
He said ciao ciao to the whole team before heading off.
wave ciao ciao
The children waved ciao ciao as the train pulled away.
a quick ciao ciao
She popped in for a quick ciao ciao and then left.
ciao ciao for now
Ciao ciao for now — we'll talk again next week.
call out ciao ciao
He called out ciao ciao from the other side of the street.

Synonyms and how they differ

bye-bye
A very common informal goodbye; it is more widely used in English and sounds less foreign than 'ciao ciao'.
cheerio
A British informal goodbye that is friendly but old-fashioned; 'ciao ciao' sounds more modern and slightly stylish.
see you
A neutral, everyday farewell that promises another meeting; 'ciao ciao' is warmer and more playful but carries no promise.

Opposites

hello

Word family

ciao interjection
The single form, used as an informal hello or goodbye.

Commonly confused: ciao ciao or chow? ciao ciao or ciao?

ciao ciao vs chow

Sounds the same as a single 'ciao' but means food or a dog breed; the spelling shows which word you mean.

ciao ciao vs ciao

The short form works for both hello and goodbye, while the doubled 'ciao ciao' is almost always a goodbye.

Practice

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