take care

I noticed many people say this to each other when departing.
But I feel reluctant to say this to someone older than me because I feel I'm being rude.
Is it okay to say this to anyone?

I don't really see why it's rude. I pretty much say that to anyone I know even tho they're older than I am. Unless in a formal situation should I say something more formal. But other than that, I would say that saying "take care!" is just fine.

Other opinions?

You know take care is other way to say good bye, when someone doesn't want to hurt you he said something like take care of yourself. that's what understand form take care, if you have any more good ideas what does it mean particularly take care I would like if you can tell me.

Take care it's a English way to say that you don't care about someone so she or he has to take care of his self, it's another way to say you go away from me, I don't care so now you can take of your self or God can take care of yourself , but I don't want to know nothing about you.

If you put it that way, Laura, then it's rude. I never knew it had this kinda connotation, though. It's always been "take care!" short for "take care of yourself" meaning that from this point I won't see you, so you better look after yourself.

Of course, I don't even think about that when saying take care. It's kinda like a fancier way of saying "good bye" to me. But definitely not any rude.

Thank you for explanation, Estel. You know english is a dificult language. Sometimes when someone said something it's dificult to read between the lines. Sometimes in english it's so dificult to recognize what is said and even dictionary doesn't help at all.

That's because you read between the lines when there's no need for it.

Laura, you're reading too much into it. It's simply another way to say "goodbye" and is, actually, a polite thing to say.

"Take care" is simply another way of saying "be careful". It expresses your concern for another person's well-being, so there is no way that it is impolite in the least! Not sure how you arrived at the tortured logic you came up with above, Laura!

Uriel, is it easy?..You think. Tortured logic, I need the online dictionaly to find out the word. I've been a stranger. Living here and there. Not so sure about the words, they don't speak to me anymore, US was only some dream. As many other dreams. Strange words, every day I remote from english language and only the point that I write here is the way which I train my english from erasing in my mind.

I think it's simpler than that. The longer you live amongst English speaking people, the more used to some strange sounding phrases you'll get. Do even know how "reluctant" I was to digesting "have a good one" when I first got to hear it? Now it doesn't bother me no more

Wasnt sure the meaning of take care so the above comments are useful. I do think we sometimes look into what things mean to much. Our insecurities get the better of us.

Oho I forgot to comment it. No, I was completely sure what does take care means so I made my own conclusion. English is an open system and everyone can make his own conclusion in english as in any other language that's for sure. As Christianity. As much people I meet over the internet as many opinion I saw it, the truth is somewhere behind.

'L' wasn't me, that's for sure.