A farewell expression meaning 'goodbye.' Used when parting; can be formal or literary, though more casual phrases are common in everyday speech.
授業が終わると、先生は教室を出る生徒に向かって静かに「さようなら」と言った。
When the class ended, the teacher quietly said 'goodbye' to the students leaving the classroom.
古い友人に手紙を書いて、最後に『さようなら』と結んだ。
I wrote a letter to an old friend and ended it with 'goodbye.'
テレビ番組の最後に司会者が視聴者に向かって『それでは皆さん、さようなら』と言った。
At the end of the TV show the host said to the viewers, 'Well then, goodbye, everyone.'
留学先でお世話になった家庭に『さようなら』を言って空港に向かった。
I said 'goodbye' to the host family who had taken care of me during my studies abroad and headed to the airport.