Prague regional language

Čau

A casual hello or goodbye.

Meaning and local context

The Czech greeting is common among friends and familiar colleagues and is related to Italian ciao.

Example in conversation

Čau, uvidíme se večer.

Plain meaning: Bye, we will see each other this evening.

Common misunderstanding

It is informal and not the best choice for formal introductions.

How to interpret the example

Read the example as a matched pair: “Čau, uvidíme se večer.” is rendered here as “Bye, we will see each other this evening.”. That pairing shows how Čau carries the entry’s stated sense—A casual hello or goodbye.—inside this sentence without treating the gloss as a universal one-word translation.

Translation boundary

The local-context note says that The Czech greeting is common among friends and familiar colleagues and is related to Italian ciao. The misunderstanding note adds that It is informal and not the best choice for formal introductions. Taken together, those two pieces define the interpretation boundary for this entry: keep the meaning tied to the stated situation rather than extending it beyond the evidence shown here.

Use with care

Regional expressions depend on relationship, tone, age, and setting. Listen to local speakers before copying the term, and prefer plain language where clarity matters.

Remember it

Connect Čau with its core idea: A casual hello or goodbye.