Asian Greeting Custom

Along with Western countries with hugging, kissing or shaking hands are considered as the typical greeting custom, many Asian countries also have many way to express etiquette in greeting each other. 

Greeting in Thailand

Greeting in India

For example, In Thai culture, the traditional greeting is called the wai. The custom holds that the younger person begins the greeting by putting his palms together at his chest and gives a small bow. However, not all wais are created equal. The placement of your hands, how high your fingertips are on your chest, indicate the social prestige of the person you are greeting. The highest wai is reserved for royalty and monks. If someone greets you with a wai, it is polite to return the greeting. Make a note of the position of their hands on their chest and mimic it.

 Greeting in Korea

Greeting in Japan

Bowing is one aspect of each culture that most assume is the same, but in fact, it has evolved in each country over the years. In Japan and Korea, a slight bow when greeting each other and a deeper bow in more formal situations is still considered appropriate.