People greet each other in many different ways. We asked four people to describe the ways they greet people in their country. Here’s what they wrote: I greet people differently depending on the situation. In formal situations, I usually shake hands. And when I meet someone for the first time, I almost always shake hands. It’s important to shake hands firmly. When I greet casual friends, I just say, “Hi!” For close friends, I usually give them a hug. It’s a little different for men though. Where I live, it’s not very common for male friends to hug each other. They do other things like the “fist bump.” That’s when two people touch fists.
-Sandra (U.S.)
In formal situations or when I meet someone for the first time, I shake hands. It’s important to shake hands firmly and look the other
person in the eye when you greet them. I always hug my friends. Hugging is perfectly acceptable. It’s OK for men to hug other men,
for men to hug women, and for women to hug other women.
-Kamal (Turkey)
In a formal situation or when I meet someone for the first time, I always shake hands. When I greet a male friend, I give him a hug
and a pat on the back. When I greet a close female friend, I give her a small hug and a kiss on the cheek. My female friends greet each
other in this way too.
-Octavio (Venezuela)
When I meet a friend, I greet them with a wai-I put my hands together in front of my chest and bow slightly-and say, “Sawadee,”
25 which means “Hello.” In formal situations, some people still use this traditional Thai greeting, but these days more and more businesspeople shake hands. Times are changing.
-Noi (Thailand)