let's wai in Thailand

Thailand is a country with a long and rich history. Thailand is also one of those countries which have many traditions which modern times fortunately have not affected. Thai’s culture is especially well known for its uniqueness. It is well worth noting that Thai culture has traditionally been handed down from one generation to the next. One aspect of Thai’s unique culture is its way in greeting the people. Thai called their greeting: wai, pronounced like the word ‘why’ (www.wikipedia.com). In this paper, the writer will explain about the wai. It includes what is wai exactly, who the wai presented to, and how to do the wai correctly. It is important for us, especially for people who want to visit Thailand, to know about the culture and habit in that place to avoid something bad that maybe happen if we do not understand the culture there. 

Wai is greeting in Thailand which can be done by press the palms together and raise your fingertips towards your chin, nose, or eyebrow level and say “Sawasdee” (http://www.virtualtourist.com/favicon.ico). It is done to express respect, to get apologize, and also to express grateful. For Thais, it is very important to do the wai correctly. Because if we do it in a wrong way, it will be a comical thing and be a problem for foreign people who do not know how to do it correctly.

Generally, there are four levels of Wai that have to be noticed for everyone. They are the lowest level of Wai, the normal level of Wai, the next level of Wai and the last is the highest level of Wai (www.associatedcontent.com).

The first level is the lowest level of Wai. It is a kind of Wai which be presented to people who have the lower status than yourself. For example, if you are a seller, and there is a shopkeeper who greets you with Wai, you just reply it by using the lower level of Wai. The position of the tips of the fingers reaches to just below the chin. This first Wai level is also presented to the people whose social standing you are not sure yet. For example, if you meet someone at the first time, and you do not sure about him/her, you can practice this kind of Wai.  

The 1st level of Wai

Next is the normal level of Wai. It is presented to someone who is in your age or for someone who has same social status as yours. For example, if you are a teacher and you meet a student’s parent, it will be polite to greet the parent with this normal level of Wai in Thailand. This level of Wai is also delivered to someone you respect e.g. mother, father, teacher, etc. In this Wai, the fingertips touch the tip of the nose. Women then either bend their heads or bend their knees in a slight curtsey. Meanwhile, men just bend their heads in a bow.

The 2nd level of Wai

Furthermore, there is next level of Wai which is given to people of a higher social status, or who are older. It is usually done by the children who greet and respect to their teacher in a special occasion called the Wai Kruu. In this Wai, the tips of the fingertips touch the area between the eyebrows. Men bow and women curtsey at the same time. 

The 3rd level of Wai

The last, the final level of Wai is the one reserved for monks and the king. Thais always do this kind of Wai in the temple which is presented to the monks. Besides, it is presented to the government or the king in this country. This Wai is also done if someone needs apologize from others. In this level, the fingertips touch the hairline and the nose touches the base of the thumb. Men bow and women curtsey but, in this curtsey, one foot is stepped backwards so the curtsey can be lower. 

Another thing that has to be noticed is that you should never do Wai for the children first. If the children do the Wai to you, just reply it by big smile. You also should not do Wai by flapping your elbows like what the chicken do. Your elbows should be tucked into your body (www.expats-moving-and-relocation-guide.com).

That is all about the greeting in Thailand. People in Thailand always do the wai in their social life. It indicates the strong culture which is kept by the younger generation. The visitors of Thailand must respect this greeting tradition. By reading this paper, the reader will know how to practice wai. So, hopefully those kinds of etiquette to do Wai in Thailand will throw light on you when you visit Thailand.