All over the world, it is customary to leave a good first impression about yourself. The surest way to do this is to express your respect for the interlocutor using the traditional greeting of his home country. However, the gestures and words of all the peoples of the world are different, therefore, when traveling somewhere, it is important to know how people greet in different countries so as not to smash their faces and win others over.
What does greeting mean?
Even when mankind developed and expanded throughout the earth, when continents opened, and people from different shores of the seas and oceans got acquainted with each other, they needed to somehow identify what is most important to them. Greeting embodies the mentality, outlook on life, at a meeting people pay attention to each other with various gestures and facial expressions, and sometimes words carry a deeper meaning than it might seem at first glance.
Over time, earthly inhabitants gathered in nations, created their own countries, and traditions and customs are preserved to this day. A sign of good taste is the knowledge of how people greet in different countries, since greeting a foreigner by his customs is nothing but the deepest respect.
Popular countries and greetings
Traditions are not always preserved. In the modern world, where everything is subject to certain standards, it is not at all necessary to ask the questions "how to greet in different countries" or "what customs do this or that people have." For example, in most European countries a business handshake will be enough to negotiate with another person and not run into a conflict. Indulgent Germans, French, Italians, Spaniards, Norwegians and Greeks will be satisfied, even if the stranger can not squeeze out greetings in their native language, but say something in their own way. However, if we are talking about more distant inhabitants of the planet, then knowledge of how to greet people in different countries is more than useful.
Words spoken at meeting
The culture and logic of other nations is sometimes so bewitching and interesting that it is difficult to resist inadvertently not beginning to say hello like other people. What are the only words of greeting that people say to each other when they meet. Some are only interested in business, others are in health, the third is nothing at all, besides how pets live, it’s not at all interesting. Meanwhile, incorrectly answering such questions is considered a kind of huge disrespect, at least it is tactless. Not even the most avid traveler is interested in how they greet in different countries of the world. Words in this case, of course, play one of the most important roles. Now we find out. What should they be?
What do the Europeans say when they meet
If, in a fleeting meeting with people of a different nationality, you can get off with a simple handshake, then when you pay a visit, greeting is nevertheless customary in the language of the country in which the tourist was lucky to be.
The French at the meeting say the famous Bonjour, and then add: "How does it go?" In order not to be considered a fool, you need to answer this question as neutrally and politely as possible. Hanging on other people their problems in Europe is not accepted at all.
The Germans, by the way, will also be very interested to find out how everything is moving forward in your life, so in addition to having Hallo redone in your own way, you will also have to answer that everything is fine.
Italians differ from other Europeans. They are much more interested in whether your fulcrum is good enough, so they ask: “How much does it cost?”, Which also needs to be answered in a positive tone. The beginning and end of the meeting are similar, because for all this there is one word - “Chao!”
In England it is not at all considered that things are going on regardless of human intervention, and therefore they are interested in how, in fact, you do them: "How do you do?" But before that, the Englishman smiles fervently and shouts: “Hello!” or "Hey!" Which, in essence, is similar to how people greet in different countries. Greetings "Hay" - the simplest, most understandable, friendly and universal, like English.
Greetings in Asian countries
People in Asia live the most respectful of their traditions, and therefore greeting them is an important ritual that must be observed.
Japan - Country of the rising sun. As befits a place with that name, the Japanese often rejoice at the new day. “Konnichiva” - it seems that this is a word of greeting, but in fact its literal translation is “The day has arrived”. The Japanese are most pleased that the sun has risen today on their land. Moreover, any greeting is accompanied by a bow. The lower and slower the person bows, the more he respects the person he is talking to.
The Chinese, upon hearing a short greeting from Nihao, will respond in the same friendly manner. And, by the way, they are more interested in whether you ate today than what you do. This is not an invitation at all, but simple politeness!
In Thailand, the greeting ritual is a bit more complicated, and instead of words gestures are used to indicate the degree of respect for the interlocutor. The welcome word “Wai”, which can be dragged for a very long time, is also part of the ritual familiar to Thais.
In Romania and Spain they prefer to praise a certain time of day: “Good day”, “Good night”, “Good morning”.
Many Australian, African times, instead of repeating the rest of the world and saying hello as they say hello in different countries (words), prefer to perform their ritual dances, which are unlikely to be understood by a person completely far from their culture.
A trip to India will truly bring pleasure - people are always doing well there, which they share.
Greetings in Russia
A huge country, spread almost half the hemisphere, prefers to greet differently. In Russia they don’t like fake smiles when they meet. An informal “hello” can be allowed with a close friend, but acquaintances who are older in age wish health: “Hello!” In Russia, it was customary to bow, but over time this custom disappeared, so the Russian person needs just words. Men, wanting to remain gallant, on occasion can kiss the lady’s hand, and the girls, in turn, will sit down in a modest curtsy.
There are many cases in history when the rulers of Russia tried to teach people how to greet in a European manner, but one original Russian tradition still remained: to greet a guest with bread and salt at the doorstep there is the highest degree of hospitality. The Russian people immediately sets the guest at the table, feeds him delicious food and pours drinks.
Welcome gestures
Many rituals are accompanied in some countries by special gestures. Others when acquaintance are completely silent, preferring to express their intentions through gestures or touches.
Loving Frenchmen lightly kiss each other on the cheeks, send kisses. An American doesn’t need to hug a barely familiar person and pat him on the back.
Tibetans, fearing the reincarnation of an evil king with a black language who does not recognize Buddhism, even before verbal communication prefer to first protect themselves and … show the language by removing their headgear. After making sure that the spirit of the evil king did not enter the person, they continue their acquaintance.
In Japan, any greeting is accompanied by a bow. In China and Korea, the tradition of bowing is still alive, but since these countries are now the most developed, a simple handshake will not be an insult to them. Unlike the residents of Tajikistan, who grab hold of both hands at a meeting. To give one hand is considered a gross mistake and disrespect.
In Thailand, palms are folded to each other in front of the face so that the thumbs touch the lips, and the index fingers touch the nose. If the person is respected, the hand is raised even higher to the forehead.
When meeting the Mongols, they are primarily interested in the health of livestock. Say, if everything is fine with him, then the owners will not starve to death. This is a kind of degree of care.
Arriving at the Arabs, you can see hands crossed in a fist, crossed on the chest. Do not be afraid - this is also a kind of gesture of greeting. But the most inventive were the people of the Maori tribe in New Zealand, who rub their noses against each other. For a Russian, such a gesture is very intimate, but knowing how to say hello in different countries of the world, you can adapt to everything.
