Saying "Hello" in Thailand

When traveling to another's country, there are always things that you can do to show that you have taken an interest in the local culture beyond what tourists may generally show.

Being able to do a simple greeting is a start but in Thailand, it is not just saying the words but knowing the correct gestures that go with the words will show locals that you respect their customs and culture and may even get a few smiles and maybe new friends. (Just think of all the things you may have witnessed from Amazing Race!).

Beginning, the “THAI WAI”

“Thai Wai” is what you do with your hands when you are making a greeting.  Thai people rarely shake hands as a form of greeting.  They may do so to make Westerners more comfortable but most commonly, Thai people will offer a “Wai.”  Aside from saying hello, the “Wai” is used to show respect, to show gratitude and can sometimes be used for an apology. 

When you first enter a place, to say HELLO, put both of your hands together into a prayer gesture in front of your chest with the tips of your fingers just below chin level.

The “Thai Wai” also is used to show the respect to the person you are greeting.  You will place your hands higher in front of your face depending on the age or the status of the person you are saying hello to.  If the person is an elder, public official or another important person, your hands will be higher so that the fingertips are slightly above the nose.  If you are greeting a Monk, they will receive the highest of all Wai which will put your thumbs about eyebrow level.

 

Another thing to remember, to not return a friendly “Wai” would be considered to be rude.  In Thailand, only the king and monks are not required to return someone’s wai and that again shows the respect level of status.

As well, if you have an object in your hands (food, drink, etc), either place the object down or bow your head slightly in acknowledgment. It will also be considered rude to attempt a “half-wai” with something sticking out of your fingers.

A person could accidentally cause embarrassment by offering a wai to someone considered to be of a lower social standing as doing so can cause them to lose face.  If is not necessary to give a “wai” to children, beggars or people who you are paying for a service (e.g., servers, drivers, and bellboys at hotels).

Saying Hello

In Thailand, this greeting can be used anytime regardless of the time of day or night.  Some other Southeast Asian countries do have different forms of greetings depending on the time of the day.  The greeting is gender specific and knowing the difference as a foreigner will again be greeted very warmly by the Thai people.

The basic greeting in Thai is “SAWASDEE” and sounds like “SAY-WAH-DEE” with an ending depending on gender.  Males will end their greeting by saying “KHRAP.”  The “R” is rarly pronounced so it will sound like “KAP.”  Women will end their greeting by saying a drawn out “KHAAA.”  The “kap” is stated with a sharp raised tone while the “kha” drops in tone. And of course, your hands are in the “Thai Wai.”

So to summarize:

-        -  Men say hello with: sah wah dee khrap!

-        -  Women say hello with : sah wah dee khaa

Sabai Dee

After saying Hello, your greeting can be expanded by asking someone how they are doing.  After your “Sah-wah-dee,” a person will often followed up with "Sabai-dee-mai" and the correct gender ending for the person speaking (either khrap or kha). What is being asked is, "good and happy, no?"

The correct response for when someone asks you “Sabai-dee-mai” would be:

-          "Sabai dee" if you are doing well

-          "Mai sabai" if it is not so good