Sayonara: bye or farewell

Hi, I've always been told that "Sayonara" means "good bye" in Japanese; but actually I've heard a Japanese person saying "Sayonara" only once or twice before... Most of the times they would use "matane", "deha mata", "soredeha", i.e "see you".

It lets me think that "Sayonara" means something like "Farewell". That would mean that the person doesn't expect to meet again.
But maybe I'm mistaking. I would like to know what is the exact use of this word.

Any explanation? Thank you :)

Many people don't think seriously about that.
"sayonara" sounds a bit stiff and ceremonious today, so people use others, I think.
BTW, "matane" means clealy "see you again" but "sayonara" and "soredewa" mean originally "if so" only.

Sayonara has an air of formality or finality to it, so people don't really use it as often compared to the lighter ways of saying goodbye. But it is in common usage and isn't necessarily used in a way that means goodbye forever. You can think of it as having more of a farewell connotation to it (although native English speakers may not make much of a distinction between goodbye and farewell).

The older generation use "sayonara" as a common "goodbye."

The younger generation tend to think that the term implies "goodbye forever." (Apart from the TV people who say "sayonara" at the end of a show.)

Being 53, I remember learning this for the first time about 15 years ago. I even confirmed a teenager back then and he said, "If my girfriend says sayonara at the end of a phone call, I'd probably be scared." and all of us thiryty-somethings-and-older people then were like "Whoa!"