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What does “doei” mean in Dutch?

Dutch has several ways to say goodbye, and they fall along a scale from formal to casual. “Tot ziens” means “until we see each other again,” “dag” is a short form of “goedendag” (good day), and doei is the most casual and the most distinctly Dutch of all. Between friends it’s the natural door-closing word. In Belgium speakers are more likely to say “dag” or “tot ziens”; hearing “doei” marks someone as very much from the Netherlands.

This clip lines up all three in order: the first conversation closes with “Tot ziens. Dag!”, the second with “Fijne dag. Jij ook, dag!”, and the third — the most informal — with “Tot later. Doei!” “Doei” dates from around the 1950s and its origin isn’t pinned down precisely: it may be a contraction of “goeiendag” (a variant of goedendag) or a development from the older informal form “doeg.” A related regional variant, “houdoe,” survives in Brabant with the same casual meaning. What is settled is that “doei” is upbeat, warm, and distinctly Netherlands Dutch — the goodbye that sounds unlike any other language’s equivalent.