Namaste Odia and Kannada languages, or a different greeting word is "āyubōvan" (ආයුබෝවන්) which has the meaning "wishing long life". Namaste Namaste (, Devanagari: नमस्ते, ), sometimes spoken as "Namaskar" and "Namaskaram", is a customary Hindu greeting. The term has origins in the Vedic period on the Indian subcontinent. In the contemporary era, it is found on the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and among the Hindu diaspora worldwide. It is used both for salutation and valediction. "Namaste" is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture
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