How to say hello in Thailand

A Thai greeting has two parts: the word sawatdi and the gesture called the wai. Nobody expects a perfect bow from a visitor, but a decent wai and a polite khrap or kha change how people treat you, from the market to the immigration office. Below is how to hold your hands, who gets a lower bow and how to respond, based on the Thailand Foundation, the Royal Society of Thailand dictionary (ORST) and the Ministry of Culture’s guidance.

What the wai is

The ORST dictionary defines the wai (ไหว้) as a sign of respect made by raising joined palms; a junior greeting a senior or a monk also bows the head. Thais use the same gesture to say thank you, to apologise and when praying in a temple (Thailand Foundation). An old saying, ไปลามาไหว้, means you wai when you arrive and when you leave.

How to hold your hands

The Thailand Foundation describes the wai in two steps:

1. Press your palms together in front of your chest, at the breastbone, elbows close to your body. This position is called anchali
2. Bow your head and tilt your joined hands forward and up toward your face. This is wanta, and how high you go depends on who you are greeting

Keep your fingers straight and together. Put your phone and bag away first so both hands are free.

How high: peers, elders, monks

Table based on the Thailand Foundation. The deepest form of respect, กราบ (krap), is a bow to the floor: the ORST dictionary describes sitting with palms joined at the forehead and lowering the head to the floor. Thais do it before the Buddha and monks in temples, and nobody expects it from tourists.

Who wais first

The younger or lower-status person wais first: a student to a teacher, a child to parents, an employee to a manager (Thailand Foundation). The senior person returns it, not necessarily with the same deep bow. The same source notes that Thai friends of the same age now often just wave, while the wai stays for elders and formal settings.

For a visitor this means:

• You can always wai a host, an older person, a doctor or a teacher first
• For a monk, raise your thumbs to between the eyebrows and bow lowest
• Hotel, cafe and shop staff often greet guests with a wai. Respond with a nod, a smile and khop khun khrap or kha, or a rap wai: palms at the chest, no bow
• Adults don’t wai children first. If a child wais you, do a rap wai and smile

What to say: sawatdi khrap and sawatdi kha

RTGS is the official romanization and ignores tones. The particle khrap or kha depends on who is speaking, not who you are talking to: men always say khrap, women say kha. Since the ORST dictionary lists sawatdi for both meeting and parting, you don’t need a separate goodbye. Particles and tones are explained in Thai for travelers.

Using names: khun plus first name

Thais address each other by first name, not surname (Ministry of Culture). The polite form is คุณ, khun, plus the first name, as in Khun Somchai. The ORST dictionary gives khun as a polite you and a polite he or she, for men and women alike. People who know each other well use nicknames, short words like Nok or Ben, still with khun.

Never use khun about yourself; it is only for other people. If a Thai acquaintance introduces themselves by nickname, use that.

Handshakes, hugs and kisses

The handshake is not a traditional Thai gesture, but it is used in business and with foreigners. If a Thai partner offers a hand, shake it. Thailand’s Ministry of Culture advises against hugs and kisses as a greeting, especially with women, and against public displays of affection in general, particularly in temples. Women must not touch a monk, even to greet him or hand something over (TAT).

The rest, from shoes to the anthem and tipping, is in Thailand etiquette. Holidays, when Thais visit temples and wai the monks, are in Thai holidays.

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