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**Cnbaapuy** · 09-22-2012, 02:02 AM

äËÇé (wai) - to greet, to show respect to each other, to apologize, to thank someone, to say goodbye. Wai can be interpreted and expressed as amiability, kindness, manners, courteousness, upbringing of that person, etc.

ÃÑºäËÇé (rab wai) - to acknowledge being wai-ed by wai-ing back. Generally it’s impolite if ‘no rab wai or no return wai’. High level in the royal family and monks don’t have to do ‘rab wai’. We don’t have to wai back in some situations.

Many people think only a smile or a nod is ok, but some people esp. old generations consider it’s rude, depending on background and social circle they are from.

Wai is sensitive among Thai people, the culture of wai has been changing following modern world, globalization, some say this culture is old-fashioned, some don’t even care to do it properly, some have never been taught how to wai properly. Anyway wai-ing does have impact more or less in our everyday life.

When to wai: the person of higher social status and older person should be wai-ed to, if you are not sure, it’s the safe side to wai them first.

Greeting
A: wai + saying ‘Sawaddee krup/kha’
I don’t recommend to say ‘waddee’ instead of ‘sawaddee’ to the person you are not familiar with.

B: wai back + saying ‘Sawaddee krup/kha’

Whenever I join my school reunion, most of us wai each other when arrive and leave, some are respectable in society, some have special rank in front of their names, etc. It’s the best to wai each other regardless who wai who first.

You can see that many Thais wai each other almost at the same time regardless the age.

Each Thai person will give you different answers depend on their background and judgment in each case.

Question 1:
I give a small gift to someone like a hotel receptionist and she does a "wai" of thanks. Should I return the "wai"? Or is just a nod, smile and "Mai ben rai" okay? Or maybe say "Indee khog Pom Krap"?

If she is a senior receptionist or her age is not much different from you, it’s better to wai her back and smile. Some people just smile and a nod.

Question 2:
I have a Thai teacher who is much younger than I am. I am also an "acharn" but she has never been my student:
At the beginning and end of each class should I "wai" her first as my teacher?
I attended some courses related to my work, the teacher was younger than all students, she wai-ed us as soon as she stepped into the classroom, we 'rab wai' her. After that the teacher and all of us wai-ed each other almost at the same time.

Anyway, some Thai teachers like to be wai-ed no matter how old students are.

Question 3: How sensitive are Thais to this "wai" custom meaning if a farang gets in wrong (does not wai a teacher first etc) will they be offended or will they just let it slide as another "farang mistake"?
Foreigners are not expected to wai properly same as Thais

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09-22-2012, 02:02 AM	#17
Cnbaapuy Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 488 Senior Member	äËÇé (wai) - to greet, to show respect to each other, to apologize, to thank someone, to say goodbye. Wai can be interpreted and expressed as amiability, kindness, manners, courteousness, upbringing of that person, etc. ÃÑºäËÇé (rab wai) - to acknowledge being wai-ed by wai-ing back. Generally it’s impolite if ‘no rab wai or no return wai’. High level in the royal family and monks don’t have to do ‘rab wai’. We don’t have to wai back in some situations. Many people think only a smile or a nod is ok, but some people esp. old generations consider it’s rude, depending on background and social circle they are from. Wai is sensitive among Thai people, the culture of wai has been changing following modern world, globalization, some say this culture is old-fashioned, some don’t even care to do it properly, some have never been taught how to wai properly. Anyway wai-ing does have impact more or less in our everyday life. When to wai: the person of higher social status and older person should be wai-ed to, if you are not sure, it’s the safe side to wai them first. Greeting A: wai + saying ‘Sawaddee krup/kha’ I don’t recommend to say ‘waddee’ instead of ‘sawaddee’ to the person you are not familiar with. B: wai back + saying ‘Sawaddee krup/kha’ Whenever I join my school reunion, most of us wai each other when arrive and leave, some are respectable in society, some have special rank in front of their names, etc. It’s the best to wai each other regardless who wai who first. You can see that many Thais wai each other almost at the same time regardless the age. Each Thai person will give you different answers depend on their background and judgment in each case. Question 1: I give a small gift to someone like a hotel receptionist and she does a "wai" of thanks. Should I return the "wai"? Or is just a nod, smile and "Mai ben rai" okay? Or maybe say "Indee khog Pom Krap"? If she is a senior receptionist or her age is not much different from you, it’s better to wai her back and smile. Some people just smile and a nod. Question 2: I have a Thai teacher who is much younger than I am. I am also an "acharn" but she has never been my student: At the beginning and end of each class should I "wai" her first as my teacher? I attended some courses related to my work, the teacher was younger than all students, she wai-ed us as soon as she stepped into the classroom, we 'rab wai' her. After that the teacher and all of us wai-ed each other almost at the same time. Anyway, some Thai teachers like to be wai-ed no matter how old students are. Question 3: How sensitive are Thais to this "wai" custom meaning if a farang gets in wrong (does not wai a teacher first etc) will they be offended or will they just let it slide as another "farang mistake"? Foreigners are not expected to wai properly same as Thais .
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