Travel notes. How to say hello in different countries of the world

We usually greet each other with a handshake, especially men. It can also be a kiss, a light hug, a wave of the hand, or just a verbal greeting.

If we are in Russia, then the woman should extend her hand to the man first, and he should be the first to say hello. In the UK, the opposite is true.

In Tajikistan, the host will shake one hand with his two to show respect.

In the Middle Ages, it was customary for European knights and kings to hold out their hand to show that there is no weapon in it and that you have peaceful intentions.

The people of Grenada are more likely to beat fist to fist than to shake hands.

In Iran, after shaking hands, you need to attach right hand to the heart.

South Africans clasp their little fingers, shake their fists, and clasp their little fingers again.

But the Japanese will not shake hands, they bow instead. And the longer, the higher the degree of their respect for the person.

Both Koreans and Ancient Russia bows were also popular at one time.

Indians rub their noses, the Akamba tribe of Kenya spit at each other. The Maasai spit on their own hand and then shake it with another. There are tribes that will squat until you come near.

In Tibet, to say hello, you need to remove your headdress with your right hand, and lay your left behind your ear and stick out your tongue.

Koiri ( New Guinea) rub their chins.

The Maori (a tribe of New Zealand) carry out a range of activities. They shout, clap their hands on their hips, stomp their feet, sit down, then dial more air, bulging eyes and sticking out tongues.

In Zambezi, you need to clap your hands and squat.

The people of Thailand put their hands together and put them on the chest or on the head, depending on the respect they have for the person. In this case, you need to say "Wai".

Eskimo men hit on the back or on the head when they meet.

Polynesians sniff each other, stroke their backs, rub their noses.

Aborigines from Australia dance.

Greeting kisses are also different for everyone.

In Oman, men kiss each other on the nose. In Holland, a triple kiss on the cheeks is accepted. In Belgium, this is also the case if a person is older than you by more than 10 years. If the age is one, one kiss is enough.

In Paris, they kiss four times. And in Spain, you can and should kiss everyone - friends and acquaintances of your friends, relatives. And it doesn't matter where you are.

Here is a small cheat sheet for those who are going to travel. This is how greetings sound in the languages ​​of the world.

Yasu in Greece Shalom in Israel Gomar Joba in Georgia Nihao in China Konishua in Japan HelloHai in England Gutn takKhoi in Germany Assalam alaikum in Azerbaijan Hei in Sweden Bonjour in France Terve in Finland Hello in Bulgaria Ola (greeting in Spanish, Mexico, Argentina, Chile , Colombia) Bongiorno in Italy Aloha in Hawaii Miraba in Turkey Dob dan in Serbia Ahoy in Slovakia Haumygygyz in Bashkortostan Chao (Vietnam, Italy) Laba dena - good afternoon in Lithuania Alyafundu in Korea Zen of good in Belarus Buongiorno (Italy) good morning or good afternoon Buonacera (Italy) good evening

How people say hello depends a lot on where they live. It's a way to show respect for others, so oh unusual customs other countries are worth learning before traveling, so locals will treat you with more sympathy. In addition, it is always useful to understand the traditions and customs. different cultures. So, how do people from different countries behave when meeting? Let's find out!

Philippines

The people of the Philippines use nice gesture called mano, which helps show respect for elders. They take the older man's hand and press their forehead against it in a gentle motion. Considering that many Asians profess Confucianism, where elders are of great importance, the essence of such a greeting becomes quite clear.

Japan

The Japanese greet each other with a bow. Depending on the situation, the duration and angle of the bow may be different. For Japanese culture ceremonies are of great importance, so you should definitely understand all the intricacies of bowing if you have to communicate with the Japanese.

India

People in India say the word "namaste" and raise their hands in front of their chest, clasping their palms and pointing their fingers up. If you have ever practiced yoga, you are probably familiar with this position of the hands and this phrase.

Thailand

The greeting in Thailand is similar to the Indian one, it is called wai. This is a gesture reminiscent of a prayer, which is accompanied by a slight bow. A bow allows you to emphasize a respectful attitude towards the interlocutor.

France

In France, people prefer to kiss on the cheeks when they meet. Of course, this applies to cases when people have not seen each other for a long time and are going to talk, when meeting with a neighbor, it is enough just to say hello, as in other European countries.

New Zealand

Maori from New Zealand greet each other with the traditional hongi gesture, for which two people need to press their noses and foreheads together. It turns out a very cute and unusual gesture.

Botswana

In Botswana, you need to complete a series simple movements to properly greet a friend. Extend your right hand forward and place your left on your right elbow. Touch another person's hand while reaching out thumb, and then return to the starting position. After that, you should say “lae kae”, this is a way to ask about business.

Mongolia

Guests in Mongolia are given a special ceremonial khada scarf. It should be received gently, extending both hands and bowing slightly to show respect.

Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, people use the handshake and the words "as-salamu alaikum", which means "peace be upon you." Usually after that they touch noses, putting one hand on the opposite shoulder of another person. This is how men greet men, Muslim women, of course, do not enter into such close contact with the interlocutor.

Tuvalu

traditional greeting among the inhabitants of the Polynesian island, it involves a deep breath with cheeks pressed to the gums.

Greece

A common Greek greeting is a pat on the back or shoulder of a familiar person.

Kenya

Maasai warriors from Kenya greet newcomers with a dance ceremony in which they stand in a circle and compete to see who can jump the highest.

Malaysia

Residents of Malaysia touch the fingers of both hands, and then put their palms on their hearts.

Tibet

Tibetans stick out their tongues slightly when greeting to show that they are not the reincarnation of a ruthless Tibetan king who lived in the ninth century. He was rumored to have a black tongue.

On World Hello Day, which is celebrated today, we decided to compile a selection of different countries peace unusual ways say hello, which tourists should know about when traveling.

Tibet

The mysterious Eastern people have a curious custom, noted by the well-known naturalist Przhevalsky: meeting and saying goodbye, the younger Tibetan takes off his hat in front of the elder and, slightly tilting his head, sticks out his tongue. According to one version, in this way he assures the interlocutor that he is not possessed by demons, because it is they who have a green language. According to another, the tradition appeared during the reign of Landarma, the owner of the black language. After his death, local residents, fearing the return of the villain from world of the dead, checked whether any of the fellow citizens had the same black organ. Today, the tradition lives only among the elders of the people and Tibetan lamas - showing their tongue, they demonstrate a kind of reverence and respect for their fellow tribesman.

Kenya

One of the most famous tribes in East Africa, living on the border between Kenya and Tanzania, has preserved its way of life and traditional way of life from ancient times, not being tempted by the benefits of civilization. The Maasai, whose exact number is unknown, consider themselves an elite among African peoples and were once one of the most formidable and militant tribes. To show their military power and agility, the most strong men tribes perform greetings traditional dance adamu: sitting in a circle, they compete in a dance to see who can jump higher. Before shaking hands, Masai men always spit on their hands, and women greet by touching the palm of the interlocutor's palm and performing a traditional song.

China

Instead of a greeting, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire usually exchange phrases that are strange for any European: “Have you already eaten rice?”, “Yes, thank you, and you?”. And it does not matter at all whether you have already eaten or not - this greeting simply serves as a courtesy tribute, because daily bread is a very important part of Chinese culture. The famous koutou bows and the female variant of wanfu, which arose as a tribute to important ceremonies during the time of the legendary Yellow Emperor, are now used only by the Chinese who have reached old age and sacredly observe traditions. Young people in China, like their European peers, tend to shake hands or even hug, although kissing at a meeting is not at all accepted in China. Another unusual feature for us is that if the right hand of a Chinese is not free, he will easily shake your left hand.

Thailand

Like almost any country that professes Buddhism, Thailand from time immemorial shows the level of respect for the interlocutor by touching the center of spiritual forces - the head, forming special system greetings, called "wai". Thais greet the interlocutor from a distance, putting joined palms to the head or chest: the closer the palms are brought to the head, the more respectful the resident of Thailand treats the person he greets. The one who is younger in age is always the first to greet the elder, crouching in a low bow, and in return receives a polite wai with his hands folded on his chest. The greeting of peers is intended to symbolize their equality: both interlocutors bow slightly, folding their hands near their chests, or shake hands in a European way. When addressing any monk, one should bow deeply with a salutatory wai at the level of the forehead, while not blocking the path - this shows the deepest respect for the servant of the Buddha. The most respectful wai should be reserved for the temple: you need to move to the altar on your haunches, and then bend down to the floor three times while sitting.

India

In order to greet someone, a resident of India will stop and, folding his hands near his chest and joining his palms, bow slightly - this is how the famous Indian Namaste looks like. The word, which came from ancient Sanskrit, in translation means: "I bow to you." With this gesture, the Indians turn to the divine principle hidden in every person, so the greeting applies to everyone, regardless of the level of wealth, age and gender. In India, no one will turn to a woman by shaking her hand or putting his hand on her shoulder, you won’t see hugs or kisses at a meeting - it’s customary to show respect here. Spiritual guides or parents should be approached with a low bow at the feet. Every year, Western methods of greeting are spreading more and more in the country - a casual "Hello" or a simple handshake, and Namaste is practiced only among those who honor the old traditions.

This language group includes almost all European languages ​​and some languages ​​of the Middle East.

1. The French "bonjour" in addition to France, Belgium and Switzerland will be understood in countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, as well as in some African countries: Democratic Republic Congo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Guinea, Gabon and Mauritania.

2. Spanish "ola": in addition to directly Spain, the language or Castilian, as it is sometimes called, is spoken in the countries of Central and South America except Brazil. It is also the second most spoken language in the United States. It is spoken by more than 34 million Hispanics.

3. Italians greet each other with the word "chao".

4. German is the official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein and parts of Italy. In these countries, you can hear the greetings "halo" ("hello") and "guten tag" ("good afternoon").

5. "Namaste" is the Hindi greeting. This language is spoken in northern India and Nepal.

6. "Salam" - this is how the inhabitants of Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, some regions of Uzbekistan and Bahrain greet, where they speak Persian, which is sometimes called Farsi.

7. The Greeks say "yasas" (""), "yasu" ("hello") or simply "I" ("hello").

8. In Yiddish (Hebrew), you can say hello like this: “sholem aleikhem” (literally - “peace be with you”), “gut morgn / tog / ovnt” (“good morning / afternoon / evening”).

9. In the Latvian language (Latvia), the following greetings are accepted: “labden”, “sveiki”, “chow” (informal greeting).

10. In Lithuania, they say “laba dena” in formal settings, “labas” or “sveikas” (addressing a man), “sveika” (addressing a woman) and “sveiki” (addressing a group of people).

11. Ukrainians say "hello" or "break".

12. In Belarusian, you can say “good morning / day / evening”, “good morning / afternoon / evening”.

13. The Danes greet friends with the words "hai" or "haisa". A more official version is "god dag" ("good afternoon").

14. In Romania, you can say hello to a person like this: “buna ziua” or “salute”.

15. In Armenia, it is customary to say “barev” when meeting.

Kartvelian languages

Kartvelian languages ​​- this, common in the Western Caucasus. Most famous representatives this group - the Georgian language. Georgians, when greeting someone, pronounce "gamarjoba".

Uralo-Altaic languages

1. In Japan, they say "Ohayo/Konnichiwa/Konbanwa", which means "good morning/afternoon/evening".

2. Both in the North and in South Korea the greeting sounds like this: “anneon-haseeo”.

3. The Mongolians greet like this: “bayna uu”.

4. Almost 7 million out of 10 million live in Kazakhstan. The remaining 3 million settled in Chinese province Xinxiang, Uzbekistan, Russia, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Tajikistan. Kazakhs pronounce "salyametsiz be" when greeting a person. The literal translation of this expression is "how are you?"

5. In Hungarian, the greeting sounds like this: “servus” or “sia”.

6. In Estonia, you can greet a person with the words “tere pevast”, which means “good afternoon”.

7. Finns say “hyva paivaa” (“good afternoon” or “hello”) or simply “my” (“hello”).

8. In Turkey, when greeting a person, they say “merhaba / meraba”, “” (“hello”, “hello”) or “gunnaydin” (“good afternoon”).

Afroasian languages

This language group includes the languages ​​of the peoples North Africa and the Berber languages, spoken by those living in the Sahara desert. Representatives Arab world, greeting a person, pronounce "maraba". In different dialects, it may sound like "merhaba" or "meraba". Arabic is spoken in northern Africa and the Middle East. It is the main state language of the following countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Western Sahara, Yemen.

Sino-Tibetan languages

1. "Nee how" - this is how the greeting sounds in Mandarin. It is considered the most widely spoken language in the world due to the number of Chinese. It is spoken by at least 50% of the Chinese population.

2. Cantonese is spoken in South China, Hong Kong and Macau. The greeting "nee how", like "nee how" in Mandarin, means "you are fine."

Austronesian languages

1. In Malay, “good morning / good afternoon /” sounds like “slamat pagi / tengahari / petang”.

2. On the island of Hawaii, tourists are greeted with the word "aloha".

3. Tagalog is spoken in the Philippines. Say "kamusta" to say hello.

Travelers in New Zealand will certainly be able to see the traditional greeting of the representatives of the Maori peoples - hongi. This way of greeting has a long history and is a touch of noses when meeting. Nose-rubbing is a symbolic act of invoking the "ha" or "breath of life" which goes directly to the gods. The person who passed this rite is no longer considered a “manuhiri” (“visitor”), but becomes a “tangata venua” - “man of the earth”.

Tibet

In most parts of the world, sticking out your tongue would be considered indecent, but not in Tibet. Here it is traditional way greetings. The tradition has its roots in the 9th century, during the reign of the Tibetan persecutor king Landarma, who had a black tongue. The Tibetans were afraid that Landarma would be reincarnated, so in order to prove that they were not evil, they began to greet each other by sticking out their tongues. This tradition continues to this day. It is often complemented by crossing the palms on the chest.

Tuvalu

Travelers heading to the island nation in Polynesia, Tuvalu, should be prepared to be close to the local people who greet them. The traditional greeting in Tuvalu is as follows: one person presses his face against the cheek of the second and takes a deep breath.

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Mongolia

inviting unknown person into the house, the Mongol presents him with a strip of silk or cotton, which is called hada. It is usually white, but can also be light blue and light yellow. If you are honored to receive hada, then you need to accept it with both hands with a slight bow. Passing on the hada and bowing is a sign of deep mutual respect, highly valued in Mongolian culture.

Japan

The greeting is very important in Japanese culture and the bow is its integral part. It can range from a slight nod of the head to a deep bow at the waist. If the greeting ritual takes place on a tatami, a traditional Japanese floor covering, then you first need to kneel, and then bow. The longer and lower the bow, the more respect you show. Small nods of the head as a casual, informal greeting are more common among young people.

Kenya

Travelers in Kenya will undoubtedly meet representatives of one of the most famous Masai tribe in the country. Those who are lucky enough to observe the unique traditions and rituals of the tribe will surely remember the energetic welcome dance. It is called "adamu" ("dance of jumping") and is performed by the warriors of the tribe. It begins with a story or story, after which the dancers form a circle and begin to compete among themselves in the height of the jumps, which is designed to show the guests of the tribe the strength and courage of its members.

Greenland

In many arctic regions, including Greenland, the traditional Eskimo or Inuit greeting is called "kunik". It is used mainly between family members and lovers. During this greeting, one of those who meet presses his nose and upper lip to another person's skin and breathes. They also have some western peoples adopted the tradition of the "Eskimo kiss" - rubbing noses.

China

The traditional Chinese greeting is called koutou and consists of folding hands and bowing. For women, this rite is called “wanfu”: the fairer sex must join their hands and hold them down along their body. The koutou tradition dates back to the time of the legendary Emperor Huang Di (Yellow Emperor). Initially, this greeting was used when meeting with the emperor or during other ceremonies, such as marriages.

Thailand

The refined Thai tradition of greeting is called wai. The greeter should put his palms together as if he is praying, put them on his head, bow and say "sawaddi". Travelers in Thailand may notice that the positions of the hands can vary: the higher the hands are in relation to the face, the more respect is given to the one who is being greeted. Initially, the tradition was used to indicate the absence of weapons, which was perceived as the highest show of respect. "Wai" is still widely used throughout Thailand.

Philippines

Visitors to the Philippines will be able to see another unusual tradition greet. When a younger person greets an older person, he should lean slightly, take the elder’s right hand with his right hand, and then touch the interlocutor’s forehead with his knuckles. At the same time, a younger person should say “mano po” (“mano” - “hand”, “po” - “respect”).
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