How to Thai Greeting : "Wai"

How to Thai Greeting : "Wai"

• Thai people greet each other with a gesture similar to the one in the picture opposite. Thai people do not shake hands like people in the west. They place the palms and fingers of both their hands together as in a prayer position in the center of their bodied and at different levels depending upon the level of gesture as explained below. This Thai greeting gesture is called a '' wai '' and is pronounced more like '' why '' in English. 

• The wai is also used to say '' sorry '' or '' thank you ''. 

                    Mascot of mcdonald's is having wai.

*Good to Know*

• The greeting gesture is also accompanied with a slight bow. The various positions and gestures can be very graceful and expressive, show respect, authority, submissiveness happiness and obedience. The different levels of position of the joined hands shows different degrees of respect. The higher the joined hands are held in relation to the face is an indication or more respect or reverence. 
• For Thai people the gestures are complex but foreigners are not expected to understand this aspect of Thai culture in detail. But for those who do try to understand and participate correctly then you start to be more integrated into Thai society and culture.

Greeting in Thai

Greeting in Thai

      Before you learn any other words, the first thing to understand is the two polite particles 'krub' and 'ka'. These words are added to the end of sentences to make them sound polite. The important thing to know is that men say 'krub' and women say 'ka'. So if you are a man you should say 'sawatdee krup' and if you are a woman, you should say 'sawatdee ka'.

- Good morning /Good afternoon /Good evening /Hello/Hi      = Sa-was-dee  krub (Man)     = Sa-was-dee  ka    (Woman)

**Good to know -- 

'krub' - It is common for Thais to drop their 'r' sounds (or sometimes replace the 'r' with an 'l'). You will therefore often hear men pronounce this polite particle as 'cup'.

'ka' - Thai women actually use two different tones for this word depending on how they are using it. For our purposes, you do not need to worry about this distinction.

- Thank you = Khob-khun krub (Man)

                    = Khob-khun ka (Woman)

You can add krup or ka to the end of almost any sentence to add a feel of politeness.