From the moment I stepped off of the airplane in Bangkok, I noticed people all around me putting their hands together in front of their chests and smiling, saying "sawatdee krupp" and "sawatdee khaa" to each other. I knew that these were the Thai words for "hello," but I was curious about the hand gestures. Everywhere I looked as I explored the country, I noticed all kinds of people performing this gesture, including old people, children, teachers, police officers and store owners.
How do you greet your friends? What about your parents? Who do you high five? Do you high five your grandparents? Or shake hands with your siblings?
The most common way to greet others here in Thailand is called a wai. To wai somebody, you put your palms together at your chest, then raise them to your face while bowing slightly. You can wai someone while saying "hello," "goodbye" or "thank you." Those three phrases are very common, so I wai a lot in Thailand!
Most of my students wai me whenever they see me. After I receive their wai, I respond with one of my own. I was curious about the tradition, so I asked my students about why they wai. “Respect,” one said. “It’s important to wai people who are older than you.”
