I\u2019m will assume that my readers know what the Wai \u0e44\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e49 is, the motion where you clasp your hands in a praying motion to say \u2018hello\u2019. At least, that\u2019s what you are told when you first come to Thailand. However that\u2019s very much an oversimplification, to the point of being almost completely wrong. It\u2019s actual a method of paying respect, not to say hello.<\/p>\n
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When I have farang friends visit me in Thailand, they often ask about the Wai. I simply tell them \u2018don\u2019t do it\u2019. It\u2019s very complicated with lots of subtleness about it and it\u2019s better to just not try. That is of course if you\u2019re visiting for only a week or two \u2013 but if you are making Thailand a second home then this article is just for you.<\/p>\n
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When should you wai? It has a *lot* to do with the situation.<\/p>\n
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1)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Always wai to a person who is much older than you, especially when you are introduced to him\/her \u2013 for example your girlfriends parents, or your friends grandparents, etc.<\/p>\n
2)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Never wai to someone younger than you, ever, unless they wai to you first. It\u2019s like you\u2019re wishing them bad luck.<\/p>\n
3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If someone wai\u2019s to you, it\u2019s rude to not wai back. And expect someone to not wai you back sooner or later. Just pretend it didn\u2019t happen and smile . . . and maybe subtly point your feet at them.<\/p>\n
4)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The wai shows superiority by age, not by employment status. If your boss is much younger than you, he is expected to wai you first.<\/p>\n
5)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t wai with friends, unless they do it first. That\u2019s just weird.<\/p>\n
6)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t wai servants or people serving you as a customer (like the bell hop at a hotel), or other random people you see on the street. In the West, would you shake hands with the waiter at a restaurant? \u2013 it\u2019s just weird. Don\u2019t do that.<\/p>\n
7)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Always wai monks, and people of much higher social positions than you (up to your own judgment).<\/p>\n
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Now, the wai isn\u2019t just putting your hands in a praying position \u2013 it involves a lot of subtle motions with it. For example, women should slightly step back with the right foot when doing the wai. Both men and women should do a very slight head nod as well.<\/p>\n
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The height of your hands determines the level of respect you\u2019re giving. Your wai should be chest level with children, for example. Now when you wai, notice your thumbs are coming together. When wai\u2019ing an elder, the thumbs should be the level of your chin. When wai\u2019ing a monk (\u0e44\u0e2b\u0e27\u0e49\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e30 wai pra), the thumbs go to your nose. When wai\u2019ing a head monk or the King, the thumbs go to the brow above your nose.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u2019m will assume that my readers know what the Wai is, the motion where you clasp your hands in a praying motion to say \u2018hello\u2019. At least, that\u2019s what you are told when you first come to Thailand. However that\u2019s very much an oversimplification, to the point of being almost completely wrong. It\u2019s actual a…<\/p>\n