Sawasdee (Ka-female)/(Krup-male) – “The Thai wai greeting”. This is the standard Thai greeting and show of respect, indicated by pressing your palms together between your chest and bowing. Thai people do not shake hands like people in the west.
When somebody “wai’s” you, if you don’t return the “wai” then it would be considered impolite, or you could have at least just nod. This also depends on your relationship to the person. For example, when you visit your relatives, if they’re older than you then you are supposed to “wai” them and they will return the “wai” to you in the same way (position between chest). This also can be done to a person that you respect, or to a person of higher social status. Also, depending on the situation, such as a traditional Thai wedding, during the ceremony the bride will “wai” the groom, and then the groom will accept her “wai” and promise her that he will love and treat her with respect. I find this part of the ceremony very romantic and touching. 
Wow, such a beautiful and charming Thai culture. Yes I mean it, even though when I was a kid I was too shy to do it and my parents thought I was being snobbish hehe. A “wai” is a show of respect, but If you’re a foreigner visiting Thailand, it can be difficult to determine when you should “wai” or when someone should “wai” you. Usually it should be fine to do the Thai “wai” greetings to people you know who are older or about the same age as you… but not to the kids or some person who’s much younger than you. You should also “wai” when receiving a gift as a way of saying “thank you”, and you must do it before you receive. As I am in a relationship, when my boyfriend came to see me I did the Thai “wai” greeting as well.
Sawadee Ka
Always remember that when you “wai” a Buddhist monk, it’s a bit different. You should be pressing your palms together , with your hands lifted up a bit so that both thumbs are inbetween your eyebrows, and your forefingers are on the top of your forehead. From here say “Na-mas-sa-karn”, and then the monk will reply “Ja-roen-pon” Do not say “Sawasdee”, beause this cannot be used towards a monk. We also hold the “wai” while listening to a Buddhist sermon, until it ends.
Madme Wai's Buddha
So, the other day, I happened to go to the area I used to work (at a school) to get some food. Wow, it brought back some memories for me, and I was standing there pondering these, but as is turns out not for too long because all of a sudden somebody woke me up! “Kru Pui sawasdee ka?”… “do you remember me?”. I turned around and had a look “erm…?!?”… two girls with Thai student uniforms were standing front of me, and they greeted me cupping their hands together. I was thinking that it was such a beautiful “wai”, and that one of the girl looked familiar. Oh yes! She was my student way back when I used to teach here, and it’s lucky for me that I could recognise her, otherwise she would have been disappointed. To be honest, she didn’t look that different to the girl I taught over seven years ago, when she was like ten years old. So, after asking her what grade she studied at the last year of high school, she the revealed that… wow… she will turn eighteen years old soon! Time flies it seems… and I feel am getting old!
Amazingly, the day before I was in the same area buying egg noodle “bah mee” and guess what? I saw my former teacher was waiting for noodles as well, so I parked my bike and then walked closer to him. I did the Thai greeting “wai”, and you know, I wanted to do it properly because I respect my teacher and the Thai culture. Some people may rush when they do it, and that would make it look odd.
Only 30 Baht!
I’ve been asked by many foreign friends “How come Thai people are always talking about food?”. They say they’ve been asked this question “Where are you going?” or “Where have you been, long time no see”, then they know the next question would come up “… and have u eaten?”. It doesn’t matter what their answer would be, whether they have eaten or not, those Thai people would prepare food for them like a main course! Yes, I said main course… not only just a snack like cake or cookies served with tea or coffee like they do in western countries.
It’s not only a welcoming party, but also a sign of respect as well. It means they are pleased to see that you have come to visit them… put it this way, if you are not welcome, you will not see even one bottle of water!
Now, lets talk about the sort of questions those people might ask, even though you may not know them well. You guys (foreigners) may find it a bit odd, but for me as a Thai girl I am used to those questions and I don’t take them in the wrong way (or try not to).
So here are the top three questions that you might usually get asked (and the probable uninitiated westerner response).
1 (Thai) Q: Hello, where are you going?
(Westerner) A: (*thinking…mind your own business, I don’t need to tell you where am heading to*) LOL
2. (Thai) Q: Hello,Where did you go?
(Westerner) A: (*thinking WTF? He/she waited for me to come back just to ask this stupid question?*) LOL
3. (Thai) Q: G’Morning/afternoon/evening- Have you eaten?
(Westerner) A: (*Why do they really need to know if I have eaten or not?*)
Where are you going to?
(Cartoon characters courtesy of Jas Wilson: Jas Wilson’s AsmallPressBlog
If it’s the case that they haven’t seen you for long time they will ask you this question “How are you?” (Sabai dee mai?) instead.
See? For you guys this question is very common to ask everyday!
Those questions are quite common here in Thailand, the land of smiles… they don’t mean any harm, nor are they being rude or anything. This is especially true for the third question, and I’d be quite happy if somebody asked me that because it means they care about me… just like my aunty when she has chatted to me on msn, she always asks me this question “Sawasdee, have u eaten sweety”?, to which I reply “No, aunt am not hungry for food but something else” LOL …JK!
Well, I hope you enjoyed my musings today, until next time.
Kitiya
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Hi I'm Kitiya from Thailand. I was born and grew up in Udon Thani,Thailand... the land of smiles. I have one sibling, and I'm a freelance tutor, Welcome to my world :)
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