I intuitively knew about the social status as a factor in who would be expected to initiate a wai, and now just realised it's actually the same in Poland (at least in the traditional circles). The younger people are expected to say good morning to the elders (e.g., your neighbours). Students to their teachers. And so on. Fascinating!! Thank you for yet another amazing video!
The Wai is a really good invention, a really kind gesture. You Thais can be proud on that (not only on that of course) ! And you explained it very well. Thank you!
This was very helpful. Our tour guide in Bangkok told us to stop wai ing to everyone because we were old. At 69 and 71, we couldn't argue with that! We hope to move to Thailand this year and I appreciate your cultural insight.
I'm very happy to hear that this has been helpful. I probably have forgotten to mention the aspect of Rab-Wai which is to receive the Wai. You can simply put your palms together at chest level and then bow a little. You might want to proceed with a little smile if you want. I'm excited for your move to Thailand!
exactly what I was taught.. its not a general 'hello' but is always reciprocated when given... I worked with thai people for yrs and lived with them so it was first hand teaching, like this guy... thanks for clarifying it for so many who make this humble but harmless mistake.. 🙏
Agree. Reserve the wai in your back pocket only for those rare circumstances when you need to express deep gratitude . The rules of the wai are super complicated, and takes years to fully understand and use correctly. Definitely recommend avoiding ! Also, Thais do not expect you to wai, and a smile and nod goes further culturally than a misguided wai !
Actually it is NOT a form of gratitude but a polite form of RESPECT!!! 😊 These three are important: respect, gratitude and generosity ...of all the ten qualities. น้องบวดพระก่อนอ๊อย 😊
This is a great introduction to using the wai properly. While I did understand that it is used as a "thank you", the nuances of when and how to use it are new to me. Much appreciation for the explanation. 🙏
Thank you, this was very informative. I remember my wife and I walking into a McDonalds in Bangkok. We had only just walked in the door (still meters from the counter). The young staff looked at us, so we both did a wai, and one girl responded with a big grin mimicking us with quick repeated wai. As an Australian hierarchy is not really practiced. While we acknowledge some status on occasion our culture is very much about treating everyone as an equal. Also Thai people have very good skin and I think can look younger than we think. I would not want to presume a Thai lady was older than me in case I offended 😀
I definitely needed this lesson before my 2023 trip to Bangkok. I broke most of the rules, but it did come in handy with a young(er) man who was soliciting some product/service at a mall. I had zero interest and said no thank you. He continued to speak until I offered him my poorly executed WAI repeating no thank you. He immediately stopped speaking and I politely walked away. 😁
I am always in trouble when I have all sorts of things in my hands and absolutely want to do the wai 😅but nevertheless, how clumsy, thai people always appreciate the 'effort'.
I am from France and went many holidays to Thailand. I watched only one similar video about the different ways to wai...so thanks and "bravo" you are one of not so many..and you have explained where are going thumbs ;-). I had initiated way to younger boy sometimes..a mistake. I know there is one more wai, which is for royal events (of course exceptionnal for farangs).
Say hi to France! Thanks for watching and leaving the comment! And yes you 're defitenly right about another level of Wai for the monarchy. I haven't studied the particular gesture well enough to talk about it. Maybe in the future if there's an interest!
Thank you for this information! I knew of the 3 different levels, but I didn't know about the other nuances. As someone who sees everyone as my equal I find it a bit hard to adapt to hierarchy. Like, I'm 64 but I don't feel like I'm any more deserving of respect than people who are younger than me. I still want to show respect for other people's culture, though. So, if I were in Thailand I would do my best to behave in accordance to Thai culture in my interactions with Thai people.
⭐️ Thank you very much for your interesting enlightening video. Now the eternal question arises: "Who are you?" Do I have an advantage?” Do you see me?” The nature of attention changes rapidly. Let's stop for a moment. All the best for 2025 ! What year are we in Thailand? Greetings !🌟⭐️🇺🇸🇮🇹
When you want to get the attention of that person. Sawaddee khrap and kha is used as a hi. So what you can do is to use the wai + sawaddee krub/kha when you address someone older, for example
Thanks for your very well informed commentary on the wai - beyond commonplace knowledge. I wonder if the gesture was also just introduced 80 years ago together with "sawasdee" in the nation building project of the 1940s. The Thai Wikipedia entry says about the three levels that it was prescribed by the กรมส่งเสริมวัฒนธรรม / Department of Cultural Promotion. So that's probably also an even more recent thing?
This definitely opens my eyes. Thaks Yotin. Now that I am thinking about it. I did remember that people greeted with slightly different Wai gesture in the period drama Thai soaps or movies!
@@RealThailander ... which may be also just recent imagination projected back into period drama ... Maybe different regional cultures could be a topic for next videos? I think Western perceptions of Thailand is still very much informed by a "unified" view of this country. (Sorry, I jumped from period drama to this question, probably triggered by "projection into history".)
Which wai would be appropriate to give to a stranger you are extremely grateful to for a big favor, such as giving you a lift after your bike breaks down or something like that? Would it be the middle one with thumbs to the nose, or would you go up to to the third? Or is that strictly for monks only? Would it make a difference if you are older/younger than they are? Thanks for the great video!
Such a great question. The thumbs will not go up based on how grateful you are in fact. What you can do when you are really grateful is that you can bow a bit more/ lower and you can add "maak maak" which means very much. I think between two this, if the older one are thankful to the younger one they will resort to verbal gratitude and never use the Wai
As a Sikh, our greeting looks similar to the wai. It’s more of a namaste style greeting. I just how no one gets confused because it’s habit for me. Even if we make eye contact, it’s pressed palm to the chest for me. To everyone..🤣
Yeah i feel like the Thai wai is nothing original but it comes from an od,er tradition isn't it? I will have to look up on how the Sikh Wai. Thanks for watching!
Is there another Wai above your head, or higher position than for the Munk, if you meet the King? Or any Royal members? Or did i misunderstood that from my friend? I was told there was 4 positions. Thank you for your nice videos. 🙏
I think your friend is right actually. There is also an extra level for the monarchy. I did a quick research and it seems like the thumbs go even further up to the forehead level.
I read a few years back that it was best not to wai, but to acknowledge a wai given, by respectfully lowering the head . It was explained that because non Thais don't really fall into that Thai notion of class or status , so do know when to initiate or which for it should take. I was also told that I should not address Thai people with Pee or Nung for a similar reason . The latter seems true , as from experience as I have been given the oddest looks of annoyance from some people , even though I am well on in years. The wai is graceful and many in the west considered a better option than the elbow bump , to replace the handshake during the pandemic.
I can see that the acknowedging the Wai is a safer practice. But I guess there are situations where the Wai can be appreciated such as when you meet a Thai friend's parents. I also like that you mention about how non Thai don't fall into the notion of thai class and status. It's a topic I wanna talk about in my future videos, for sure. As for the Pee or Nong, that's so interesting! I have the opposite experience where I insist a younger person to forego calling me Pee because I would just like us to be casual. The person couldn't actually do it and continued calling me Pee
Is wai an appropriate way to say sorry if due to my sloppiness I accidentally hit somebody's car mirror with my bike? Let's say it's clearly no damage and they see me through the window but most likely cannot hear well. In my country I would put one hand on my chest and make a weird smile with my mouth corners down but unsure if Thais would understand that correctly.
@@RealThailander If in a crowded area and I accidentally bumped into an elderly woman, I can imagine I can ‘wai’ and say ‘ขอโทษค่ะ คุณป้า‘ at the same time. I could just say ‘ขอโทษค่ะ คุณป้า’ but I can feel just saying ‘ขอโทษ’ may not be enough. Does wai in this situation just mean sorry? I definitely would not wai if this person is younger than I am.
Ok so that's the rules when giving wai but what about returning it? I watch a lot of Thai dramas and the wai is often returned at chest level. I have also seen it done casually with one hand. Are you always obligated to return the wai? Khob Khun krub.
No you aren’t obligated to. But if you are like me, I do it as an automatic reflex. What you can do is to put your palms at the chest level and nod your head a bit. Alternatively you can nod your head and smile as well. That’s already polite enough. Khon Khun krub for watching and leaving the comment.
@RealThailander Related follow up question krub. I designed a t-shirt featuring a cute cat giving a wai with the words 'sawasdee kat' underneath. Is this ok for Thais or would it be regarded as inappropriate? Khob Khun for your advice krub.
Great content - keep it coming. Just a little suggestion - maybe you can provide Subtitles in Thai so it's a nice baseline to talk about that with thai partner or friends.
How are you supposed to reply to a Wai with full hands? I often receive a Wai after being handed change and a bag of the stuff I bought. I often think they are just messing with the dumb foreigner but Thais are too nice to do that.
Like you said, when i first came to Thailand I used to wai a lot more frequently than now. I have been living in Chiang Mai now for more than a year and dont wai as often anymore. Just whenever i go to my usual restaurant the kon sup always wai at me, and i do it back. I also do it sometimes when i really feel gratitude for someone providing a service such as sometimes after a grab drive. When I am visiting a temple and see a monk, I feel a bit embarrassed as a farang to wai although i am deeply interested in Buddhism. It was a really informational video and I didnt know about the placement of the head and head. Khrap 🙏
Hi fellow Chiangmai-ster! thanks for watching and leaving the comment. I can understand why you would feel embarrassed. I think when you live here for a long time you start to ask more questions about what you should and should not do more in awholistic sense. I do think though, that people would very much appreciate your Wai. My buddhist teacher told me that in Buddhism the Wai is not actually the sign of hierarchy but the recognition of the Buddhaness in each one of us, and he meant that by the ability to become enlightened.
Knowing when and how to wai seems a bit like knowing what pronoun to use with them according to your status. If you use an “overly respectful” pronoun as a foreigner it would not be seen as rude, but probably kind of awkward. At least they’d know the farang is trying! 🙂
Yeah you touched on a very important and highly complicated topic - the Thai pronouns! I think that Thai people are usually very relaxed about pronouns when it comes to people whose mother’s tongue isn’t Thai.
@ I’ve only just started looking at Thai (but I love your content). I’m more familiar with Vietnamese but it seems to be a SE Asian thing in general. It feels like a mine field sometimes 😅
Personally, i think "wai" is very much out dated, and should not be so prevalent. If you do it to me and if I'm not doing it back, it'd considered rude or so, that's the reason being, it's more like enforcing a communism mandate. How would u enforce that to certain forefingers and eventually they'll adapt your way back, again, that is enforcing communism mandate whether you realizing it or not. free spirit, act of freedom, when you do something it's better not to expect in return...
A fun story: when Taksin Shinawatra was PM, there was a picture circulating online of him doing a wai to a farang who waied to him first. Many farangs felt that Taksin was not required to Wei back, but he did, and many of us saw that as a sign of respect to farangs. What do you think?
Oh wow, I have to try and find this image. I like it when people Wai back in general! It shows humility and courtesy. I think a lot of people, myself included would automatically Wai someone back.It’s definitely a green flag if I go on a date with with someone and they Wai the service staff back!
@@RealThailander I can't help returning a wai to service staff, they are human beings and deserve respect. They work so hard for long hours and little money and are often treated rudely by arrogant tourists. I also smile and keep my voice low and gentle and I think this helps to show appreciation.
We need a second part - what to do when greeted by a wai
Yes. When to wai back and when not to
Oh I definitely forgot to talk abott that! I gotta make a short video out of it.
I intuitively knew about the social status as a factor in who would be expected to initiate a wai, and now just realised it's actually the same in Poland (at least in the traditional circles). The younger people are expected to say good morning to the elders (e.g., your neighbours). Students to their teachers. And so on. Fascinating!! Thank you for yet another amazing video!
The Wai is a really good invention, a really kind gesture. You Thais can be proud on that (not only on that of course) !
And you explained it very well. Thank you!
This was very helpful. Our tour guide in Bangkok told us to stop wai ing to everyone because we were old. At 69 and 71, we couldn't argue with that! We hope to move to Thailand this year and I appreciate your cultural insight.
I'm very happy to hear that this has been helpful. I probably have forgotten to mention the aspect of Rab-Wai which is to receive the Wai. You can simply put your palms together at chest level and then bow a little. You might want to proceed with a little smile if you want. I'm excited for your move to Thailand!
exactly what I was taught.. its not a general 'hello' but is always reciprocated when given... I worked with thai people for yrs and lived with them so it was first hand teaching, like this guy... thanks for clarifying it for so many who make this humble but harmless mistake.. 🙏
I appreciate this! Thanks for watching!
Agree. Reserve the wai in your back pocket only for those rare circumstances when you need to express deep gratitude . The rules of the wai are super complicated, and takes years to fully understand and use correctly. Definitely recommend avoiding ! Also, Thais do not expect you to wai, and a smile and nod goes further culturally than a misguided wai !
Actually it is NOT a form of gratitude but a polite form of RESPECT!!! 😊
These three are important: respect, gratitude and generosity ...of all the ten qualities.
น้องบวดพระก่อนอ๊อย 😊
Thanks for your comment! That’s a fair point!
This is a great introduction to using the wai properly. While I did understand that it is used as a "thank you", the nuances of when and how to use it are new to me. Much appreciation for the explanation. 🙏
I'm delighted to hear that. Thank you for watching and leaving the comment!
Interesting guide about the wai in Thai! I didn't know there were three levels of the gesture 🙏
Thank for this very good content !!!
Thank you for your encouraging words!
Thank you, this was very informative. I remember my wife and I walking into a McDonalds in Bangkok. We had only just walked in the door (still meters from the counter). The young staff looked at us, so we both did a wai, and one girl responded with a big grin mimicking us with quick repeated wai.
As an Australian hierarchy is not really practiced. While we acknowledge some status on occasion our culture is very much about treating everyone as an equal. Also Thai people have very good skin and I think can look younger than we think. I would not want to presume a Thai lady was older than me in case I offended 😀
Thank you. You are a very good teacher. 🙏
Ah thank you!
I definitely needed this lesson before my 2023 trip to Bangkok. I broke most of the rules, but it did come in handy with a young(er) man who was soliciting some product/service at a mall. I had zero interest and said no thank you. He continued to speak until I offered him my poorly executed WAI repeating no thank you. He immediately stopped speaking and I politely walked away. 😁
Oh hehehe that seemed to work out well for you! thanks for watching and the comment as well!
I’ve learnt so much, thank you ka! So interesting hearing about the how peoples status is important in the Wai.
Hehehe oh it's you. I was reading the comment before the username for a moment. Thank you for watching naja!!!!
Very helpful. Thank you!
Thank you! So glad to hear that
Very good. We need more from this kind of subjects.
That's so encouraging to hear. Thanks for letting me know. I will keep talking about subjects like these.
Thanks I see Buakaw do Wai to his KO opponent… been doing the same🙏thanks
I am always in trouble when I have all sorts of things in my hands and absolutely want to do the wai 😅but nevertheless, how clumsy, thai people always appreciate the 'effort'.
Very helpful. Khun James, you should consider writing a book once you have covered enough topics and have enough material. ตั้งตารอหนังสือของคุณครับ !
Khop Khun Khrap! This comment makes my day. a book is in the making for sure. Thank you so much for your encouraging words
I am from France and went many holidays to Thailand. I watched only one similar video about the different ways to wai...so thanks and "bravo" you are one of not so many..and you have explained where are going thumbs ;-). I had initiated way to younger boy sometimes..a mistake. I know there is one more wai, which is for royal events (of course exceptionnal for farangs).
Say hi to France! Thanks for watching and leaving the comment! And yes you 're defitenly right about another level of Wai for the monarchy. I haven't studied the particular gesture well enough to talk about it. Maybe in the future if there's an interest!
Thank you for this information! I knew of the 3 different levels, but I didn't know about the other nuances.
As someone who sees everyone as my equal I find it a bit hard to adapt to hierarchy. Like, I'm 64 but I don't feel like I'm any more deserving of respect than people who are younger than me. I still want to show respect for other people's culture, though. So, if I were in Thailand I would do my best to behave in accordance to Thai culture in my interactions with Thai people.
⭐️ Thank you very much for your interesting enlightening video. Now the eternal question arises: "Who are you?" Do I have an advantage?” Do you see me?” The nature of attention changes rapidly. Let's stop for a moment. All the best for 2025 ! What year are we in Thailand? Greetings !🌟⭐️🇺🇸🇮🇹
Happy new year to you too. It’s B.E 2568 here! Wishing you joy for the new year. And yes those are profound questions you have asked!
I was taught that the younger person et al, wais first to show respect, and the higher the wai the more respect you are showing.
Totally correct! That’s the general rule. And there’s an element of social status as well. I mean sometimes we don’t even know the other person’s age.
@RealThailander I guess I have learned a few things in 17 years, LOL.
Great explanation! Thank you! One question. When to say sawadee kap or krrrrap?
When you want to get the attention of that person. Sawaddee khrap and kha is used as a hi. So what you can do is to use the wai + sawaddee krub/kha when you address someone older, for example
Thanks for your very well informed commentary on the wai - beyond commonplace knowledge. I wonder if the gesture was also just introduced 80 years ago together with "sawasdee" in the nation building project of the 1940s. The Thai Wikipedia entry says about the three levels that it was prescribed by the กรมส่งเสริมวัฒนธรรม / Department of Cultural Promotion. So that's probably also an even more recent thing?
This definitely opens my eyes. Thaks Yotin. Now that I am thinking about it. I did remember that people greeted with slightly different Wai gesture in the period drama Thai soaps or movies!
@@RealThailander ... which may be also just recent imagination projected back into period drama ... Maybe different regional cultures could be a topic for next videos? I think Western perceptions of Thailand is still very much informed by a "unified" view of this country. (Sorry, I jumped from period drama to this question, probably triggered by "projection into history".)
I’ve been here many years and I learned a lot. Subscribed. Nice to meet you.
Delighted to hear that! Thank you
Do you have any recommendations for Thai dramas to watch?
Which wai would be appropriate to give to a stranger you are extremely grateful to for a big favor, such as giving you a lift after your bike breaks down or something like that? Would it be the middle one with thumbs to the nose, or would you go up to to the third? Or is that strictly for monks only? Would it make a difference if you are older/younger than they are? Thanks for the great video!
Such a great question. The thumbs will not go up based on how grateful you are in fact. What you can do when you are really grateful is that you can bow a bit more/ lower and you can add "maak maak" which means very much. I think between two this, if the older one are thankful to the younger one they will resort to verbal gratitude and never use the Wai
Awesome! Thank you so much!
As a Sikh, our greeting looks similar to the wai. It’s more of a namaste style greeting. I just how no one gets confused because it’s habit for me. Even if we make eye contact, it’s pressed palm to the chest for me. To everyone..🤣
Yeah i feel like the Thai wai is nothing original but it comes from an od,er tradition isn't it? I will have to look up on how the Sikh Wai. Thanks for watching!
You don't normally wai service staff back. Just smile at them.
Yeah smile is enough. I personally can’t help waiing them back though. An automatic reflex.
Is there another Wai above your head, or higher position than for the Munk, if you meet the King? Or any Royal members? Or did i misunderstood that from my friend? I was told there was 4 positions. Thank you for your nice videos. 🙏
I think your friend is right actually. There is also an extra level for the monarchy. I did a quick research and it seems like the thumbs go even further up to the forehead level.
@RealThailander Thank you so much for your fast reply and research. 🙏
I used to wai everyone regardless. I've been going to Thailand for over 15 years and still haven't figured it out.
I read a few years back that it was best not to wai, but to acknowledge a wai given, by respectfully lowering the head . It was explained that because non Thais don't really fall into that Thai notion of class or status , so do know when to initiate or which for it should take.
I was also told that I should not address Thai people with Pee or Nung for a similar reason . The latter seems true , as from experience as I have been given the oddest looks of annoyance from some people , even though I am well on in years. The wai is graceful and many in the west considered a better option than the elbow bump , to replace the handshake during the pandemic.
I can see that the acknowedging the Wai is a safer practice. But I guess there are situations where the Wai can be appreciated such as when you meet a Thai friend's parents. I also like that you mention about how non Thai don't fall into the notion of thai class and status. It's a topic I wanna talk about in my future videos, for sure. As for the Pee or Nong, that's so interesting! I have the opposite experience where I insist a younger person to forego calling me Pee because I would just like us to be casual. The person couldn't actually do it and continued calling me Pee
Good stuff… I thought this was a form of greeting.
Is wai an appropriate way to say sorry if due to my sloppiness I accidentally hit somebody's car mirror with my bike? Let's say it's clearly no damage and they see me through the window but most likely cannot hear well. In my country I would put one hand on my chest and make a weird smile with my mouth corners down but unsure if Thais would understand that correctly.
I think the wai and the bow is exactly the substitute for the "hand on chest and weird smil" gesture in this case!
学习到了 感谢 希望能有中文字幕就更好了
Thank you for watching! I will think about adding Chinese subtitles in the future!
We also wai to say sorry too.
That was the "ask for forgiveness" part he mentioned
@ Are they the same?
It’s debatable but I think sometimes. It’s asking for forgiveness and being grateful for the forgiveness in advance at the same time, In my opinion
@@RealThailander If in a crowded area and I accidentally bumped into an elderly woman, I can imagine I can ‘wai’ and say ‘ขอโทษค่ะ คุณป้า‘ at the same time.
I could just say ‘ขอโทษค่ะ คุณป้า’ but I can feel just saying ‘ขอโทษ’ may not be enough.
Does wai in this situation just mean sorry?
I definitely would not wai if this person is younger than I am.
Ok so that's the rules when giving wai but what about returning it? I watch a lot of Thai dramas and the wai is often returned at chest level. I have also seen it done casually with one hand. Are you always obligated to return the wai? Khob Khun krub.
You can just receive the wai if someone initiates it first.
No you aren’t obligated to. But if you are like me, I do it as an automatic reflex. What you can do is to put your palms at the chest level and nod your head a bit. Alternatively you can nod your head and smile as well. That’s already polite enough. Khon Khun krub for watching and leaving the comment.
@RealThailander Related follow up question krub. I designed a t-shirt featuring a cute cat giving a wai with the words 'sawasdee kat' underneath. Is this ok for Thais or would it be regarded as inappropriate? Khob Khun for your advice krub.
Corop 🙏 con Thai
Great content - keep it coming. Just a little suggestion - maybe you can provide Subtitles in Thai so it's a nice baseline to talk about that with thai partner or friends.
Thank you so much! I will definitely think about providing the Thai subtitles for the future videos
🙏
How are you supposed to reply to a Wai with full hands? I often receive a Wai after being handed change and a bag of the stuff I bought. I often think they are just messing with the dumb foreigner but Thais are too nice to do that.
Just bow your head slightly to acknowledge.
If one hand is free, you can do the one-hand wai.
The nod or the one hand wai would suffice as the comments below suggested
Like you said, when i first came to Thailand I used to wai a lot more frequently than now. I have been living in Chiang Mai now for more than a year and dont wai as often anymore. Just whenever i go to my usual restaurant the kon sup always wai at me, and i do it back. I also do it sometimes when i really feel gratitude for someone providing a service such as sometimes after a grab drive. When I am visiting a temple and see a monk, I feel a bit embarrassed as a farang to wai although i am deeply interested in Buddhism. It was a really informational video and I didnt know about the placement of the head and head. Khrap 🙏
Hi fellow Chiangmai-ster! thanks for watching and leaving the comment. I can understand why you would feel embarrassed. I think when you live here for a long time you start to ask more questions about what you should and should not do more in awholistic sense. I do think though, that people would very much appreciate your Wai. My buddhist teacher told me that in Buddhism the Wai is not actually the sign of hierarchy but the recognition of the Buddhaness in each one of us, and he meant that by the ability to become enlightened.
Knowing when and how to wai seems a bit like knowing what pronoun to use with them according to your status. If you use an “overly respectful” pronoun as a foreigner it would not be seen as rude, but probably kind of awkward. At least they’d know the farang is trying! 🙂
Yeah you touched on a very important and highly complicated topic - the Thai pronouns! I think that Thai people are usually very relaxed about pronouns when it comes to people whose mother’s tongue isn’t Thai.
@ I’ve only just started looking at Thai (but I love your content). I’m more familiar with Vietnamese but it seems to be a SE Asian thing in general. It feels like a mine field sometimes 😅
Showing respect??
Definitely one of the reasons we Wai. I think i forgot to mention this word didn't I!?
Personally, i think "wai" is very much out dated, and should not be so prevalent.
If you do it to me and if I'm not doing it back, it'd considered rude or so, that's the reason being, it's more like enforcing a communism mandate.
How would u enforce that to certain forefingers and eventually they'll adapt your way back, again, that is enforcing communism mandate whether you realizing it or not.
free spirit, act of freedom, when you do something it's better not to expect in return...
How do you know ? NEXT
I dont wai ever in Thailand really no need if your a tourist
It's still nice and expected to wai monks when visiting a temple, for example. Or when a Thai person introduces you to their parents.
... totally right !!! Many expert recommend to do so !!!
@lebedivo has answered this question nicely. I think monks and friend's parents are the occasion where the wai will really be appreciated.
A fun story: when Taksin Shinawatra was PM, there was a picture circulating online of him doing a wai to a farang who waied to him first. Many farangs felt that Taksin was not required to Wei back, but he did, and many of us saw that as a sign of respect to farangs.
What do you think?
Oh wow, I have to try and find this image. I like it when people Wai back in general! It shows humility and courtesy. I think a lot of people, myself included would automatically Wai someone back.It’s definitely a green flag if I go on a date with with someone and they Wai the service staff back!
@ if you find the image, please post it! Thanks.
I don't like everything about Thai society but they are so beautiful I will put up with it.
@@RealThailander I can't help returning a wai to service staff, they are human beings and deserve respect. They work so hard for long hours and little money and are often treated rudely by arrogant tourists. I also smile and keep my voice low and gentle and I think this helps to show appreciation.
@@ThePinkCanary I love that!!
So basically, its a mild form of grovelling. 555