The Thai Wai: How and When to Do the Wai Greeting

The wai (ไหว้wâai) is the Thai greeting: you press your palms together in front of your chest, fingers pointing up, and bow your head slightly, usually while saying สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii. It can mean hello, goodbye, thank you or sorry, and it shows respect: the higher your hands and the deeper your bow, the more respect you show.

How to wai, step by step

1. Press your palms and fingers together, like a lotus bud. Thais call this พนมมือpá-nom muue.
2. Keep your elbows close to your body and bring your hands up to your chest.
3. Bow your head forward to meet your fingertips. Don't just lift your hands to your face.
4. Say สวัสดีครับsà-wàt-dii kráp if you're a man or สวัสดีค่ะsà-wàt-dii kâ if you're a woman.
5. Hold it for a moment, then lower your hands and smile.

The three levels of the wai

Thai children learn three heights:

• For monks and Buddha images: thumbs touch the space between your eyebrows, with a deep bow.
• For parents, grandparents, teachers and elders: thumbs at the tip of your nose, fingertips touching your forehead.
• For people a little older than you, or in formal situations: thumbs at your chin, fingertips at your nose.

In everyday life, a slight bow over hands held at chest level is plenty. Nobody expects a visitor to get the height exactly right; a sincere, unhurried wai is what counts.

Who wais first?

The younger person, or the one with lower status, wais first. The older person returns it (รับไหว้ráp wâai) with a smaller wai, a nod or simply a smile. So when you meet a friend's parents, wai first and say hello. When a child wais you, a smile and a small wai at chest level is a warm reply.

Shop assistants, hotel staff and 7-Eleven cashiers often wai customers as part of their job. You don't need to wai back: a smile, a nod and ขอบคุณkàwp-kun are perfect. A deep wai to a waiter can even make them a little uncomfortable, because it puts them above you. Monks don't return a wai to lay people at all, and that's normal.

Friends of the same age rarely wai each other; they just say hi. In business, many Thais shake hands with foreigners, so follow their lead.

When Thais wai

• Saying hello and goodbye to someone older, with สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii.
• Thanking someone older for a gift or a favour, with ขอบคุณkàwp-kun.
• Apologising for something serious, with ขอโทษkǎw-tôot.
• In front of a Buddha image. For the Buddha and for monks, Thais go further and prostrate three times (กราบgràap).
• Passing a shrine or a temple: watch people give a quick wai as they walk, ride or even drive past.

Common mistakes

• Waiing everyone first. A wai to a waiter, a child or a cleaner is kindly meant, but it turns the social order upside down.
• Waiing with your hands full. Just nod and smile, or put things down first.
• Mixing it with a handshake. Do one or the other.
• A rushed, flapping wai. Slow and calm looks respectful; quick and repeated looks like a joke.
• Saying "namaste". It's a similar gesture from another culture. In Thailand you say สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii.

The wai beyond the greeting

The word turns up everywhere. Visiting a temple to pay your respects is ไหว้พระwâai prá, "to wai the Buddha". ไหว้ครูwâai kruu is the ceremony where students honour their teachers, held early in the school year, usually on a Thursday in June; Muay Thai fighters perform their own wai kru dance before a bout. And in LINE chats, the folded-hands emoji is simply a wai: thanks, please or sorry.

Practise the wai with สวัสดีsà-wàt-dii, ขอบคุณkàwp-kun and ขอโทษkǎw-tôot in Unit 1 of the free course, where your first Thai conversation starts with a wai.