Greetings and Thanking
(photo source: AP Photo Archive)
the word to use for greetings and goodbye. Thai people, especially younger
others as a greeting or to say ‘thank you’
to show respect. They do this by putting their hands together in a prayer-like
gesture and raising them to a position somewhere between the chest and
forehead and then bowing. Sometimes when Thai people run into their
friends on the streets, their friends will ask them (Where are you going?) as
- In order to make the sentences sound polite,
Thai people usually use ending particles
for males and
for females at the end of the sentences.
- Thai people greet people by saying
(Hello). If they want to ask how that person
is doing, they can say (How are you?) and then the
person can respond (I'm fine).
The following picture demonstrates several
ways of "Wai".
- You meet your friend, Ms. Sirin in the hallway and
you want to greet him. What will you say?
- You meet your old friend. After you say hello to
him, you want to ask him about
his health. What would you say?
- You are carrying a lot of books and someone opens
the door for you. What would
you say to him?
- When you meet someone and he asks if you are doing
fine, what will you say to