Greeting "Good day" in English, "As-Salamualaikum" in Arabic, "Aloha" in Hawaiian, "Shalom" in Hebrew, "Namaste" in Hindi and "Ciao" in Italian. The bow and handshake are also used for both greeting and leave taking. A greeting can consist of an exchange of formal expression, kisses, handshakes, hugs, and various gestures. The form of greeting is determined by social etiquette, as well as by the relationship of the people. Beyond the formal greeting, which may involve a verbal acknowledgment and sometimes a hand shake, facial expression, gestures, body language and eye contact can all signal what type of greeting is expected. Gestures
Thai greeting The "wai" is also common as a way to express gratitude or to apologise. The word often spoken with the "wai" as a greeting or farewell is "sawatdi" (RTGS for , , sometimes romanized as "sawasdee"). This verbal greeting is usually followed by "kha" when spoken by a female and by "khrap" when spoken by a male person (see note on Thai polite particles). The word "sawatdi" was coined in the mid-1930s by Phraya Upakit Silapasan of Chulalongkorn University. Derived from the Sanskrit "svasti" (स्वस्ति meaning 'well-being'), it had previously been used in Thai only as a formulaic opening to