Greetings are accompanied by the gesture known as a ‘wai’, which is the placing of two palms together, with fingertips touching the nose. A wai indicates the level of respect for another person and is an acknowledgement of seniority. A person should bow their head with their palms pressed together to indicate respect.
How do you greet a Thai monk?
Ideally, you should only bow at about a 45-degree angle, rather than dipping your whole torso to the ground. Bow for a couple of seconds and return to the standing position. Once you have completed the bow, you will have respectfully greeted the Buddhist monk.
Do Thai people shake hands?
Meeting and Greeting
Thais greet each other with a “wai.” Foreigners are not expected to initiate the wai gesture, but it is an insult not to return the wai. If a wai is not offered to you, shake hands with men and smile and nod to women. A Thai businessperson may shake hands with a foreigner.
How do you greet a Thai woman?
Thai Culture
- In both a formal and informal situation, Thai people greet each other with the word ‘sawadee’ followed by ‘kah’ for females and ‘kraap’ (soft r) for males.
- It is normal to refer to someone of a perceived higher status by the title ‘Khun’ (Mr/Ms) followed by their first name.
What does KHAP mean in Thai?
Sawasdee (khap/ka) – “Hello”
If you’ve stepped into Thailand before, you definitely would have heard this phrase before. Countless times! It generally means hello, but it can also serve as good morning, good afternoon, and goodbye.
How do you show respect in Thailand?
In Thailand, a wai, a gesture where you place your hand together in a “praying” sign at chest level, is a polite greeting. To show more respect, raise the wai higher, to your chin or nose-level.
Why do Thai say Krab?
Saying ‘Hello‘ in Thai
The written phrase to say hello in Thai is Sawasdee Krab/Ka. The ending Krab/Ka depends on your own gender, not the gender of the person you’re speaking to. Krab is for men and ka is for women.
What does Sawadee ka mean?
1. Sawadee krap/ka: Hello. A cheery greeting can go a long way in the Land of Smiles.
Why do Thai people kneel?
There are many temples in the country, and Buddhist ideas have enriched the hearts and souls of many Thais. In traditional Buddhist culture, kneeling is a common etiquette for Buddhists to bow down to the Buddha and Buddhist masters. It expresses the highest respect for Buddhist masters.
How do you say hello to a monk?
For most monks, a simple greeting of putting your palms together near your chest in a prayer-like fashion and bowing your head slightly, eyes facing down, is sufficient. For higher monks, such as a highly regarded lama known as a Rinpoche, the greetings become slightly more complex.