00A CULTURAL GUIDE

Palms together,
head bowed.

A classical dancer in a gold-embroidered costume seen from behind on a wooden stage, hands raised with palms pressed together — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

In Thailand, a greeting can also say how much you respect someone.

The wai joins the hands as if in prayer and bows the head to meet them. How high the hands go, and who moves first, follows long-standing rules of courtesy. The same gesture gives its name to Wai Khru, the ceremony for honouring teachers.

WAIgreeting and respectUpdated 18 October 2026

Try the greeting guide

01Principles

Junior greets first
Higher hands, more respect
Senior returns it
One gesture, many shades

02THE SHORT ANSWER

A greeting that
shows respect.

The wai has a standard form,
and the details change with who you meet.

THE GESTURE

Hands between chest and forehead

Both hands are raised with palms joined and fingers pointing upwards, lightly touching the body somewhere between the chest and the forehead.

Who greets first?

WAI KHRU

Honouring teachers

At the start of the school year, students pay respect to their teachers and present trays of flowers, asking to be accepted as their students.

The ceremony

DANCE AND MUAY THAI

Respect before the bout

Muay Thai fighters perform the Wai Kru to honour teachers present and past, followed by the Ram Muay, a dance-like routine.

See the numbers

03A QUICK GREETING GUIDE

Who are you
greeting?

Pick a situation to see how the wai usually works. The bar shows how high the hands and how low the bow tend to be.

Based on etiquette notes from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. Customs vary; this is a general cultural guide.

Greeting guide

Choose a situationSomeone younger greets youBeing introduced at a Thai homeGreeting an older or senior personA senior person is seated

Someone younger greets youReturn it lower

The person junior in age or status offers the wai first. The senior person returns it, generally with the hands raised to around the chest.

Being introduced at a Thai homeLet the host introduce

Allow your hosts to introduce you to other guests. It helps everyone understand relative status, and so who performs the wai and how low to bow.

Greeting an older or senior personWai first, hands higher

Offer the wai first. Respect is shown by the height of the hands and by how low the head comes down to meet the thumbs.

A senior person is seatedStoop as you wai

If you are standing and the senior person is seated, stoop or bow your head while making the wai.

Source: Mahidol University, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Social customs and etiquette in Thailand. Mahidol also notes that where the social distance is great, the wai may not be returned.

04TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

A ritual shared
around the world.

One figure on the yearly Wai Kru gathering,
one on how the ritual begins.

1,200+ from 57 countries

Participants at the 2016 ceremony

The Tourism Authority of Thailand says the World Wai Kru Muay Thai Ceremony, held each year in Ayutthaya since 2004, attracted over 1,200 followers from 57 countries in 2016.

WORLD WAI KRU · TAT

3 circuits

Times a fighter circles the ring

A fighter performs the Wai Kru by circling the ring three times before kneeling as a sign of respect and asking for an honourable fight and protection for both fighters.

THE RITUAL · TAT

TAT says Wai Kru reportedly dates back to the Sukhothai kingdom (1240–1438), and that gyms and regions add their own movements, so a routine can show where a fighter trained.

05FOUR THINGS TO NOTICE

Reading
a wai.

Visitors are not expected to know every rule. These are the points the etiquette guidance highlights.

Watch the hands
Hands held higher, with the head bowed further to the thumbs, show more respect.
Notice who moves first
The person junior in age or status usually offers the wai first.
Return it simply
A senior person returns the wai with hands at around chest height.
Sitting or walking is fine
The wai may be made while sitting, walking or standing.

A decorated pedestal tray of flowers and jasmine garlands on a low table, prepared for a ceremony honouring teachers — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

06WAI KHRU IN SCHOOLS

A thank-you
to teachers.

Close-up of two hands pressed together with fingers pointing upwards at chest height against a soft, plain background — AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Schools in Thailand hold a Wai Khru ceremony at the beginning of the academic year. Students show humility and appreciation, ask teachers to accept them as students, and teachers offer words of encouragement.

Students present decorated pedestal trays of flowers, candles or jasmine garlands, and may sing a song honouring teachers. The word kru comes from the Sanskrit guru, meaning teacher.

07Questions

Questions people ask

What is the wai?

The wai is the traditional Thai greeting: both hands raised with palms joined and fingers pointing upwards, touching the body somewhere between the chest and the forehead. It is a sign of respect as well as a greeting.

Who should wai first?

The person who is junior in age or status offers the wai first, and the senior person returns it, generally with the hands at around chest height.

Why do some wais look higher than others?

Respect is shown by the height at which the hands are held and how low the head comes down to meet the thumbs.

What does Wai Khru mean?

Wai is the greeting and kru is the Thai form of the Sanskrit word guru, meaning teacher. The Tourism Authority of Thailand suggests 'ritual salute to teachers present and past' as a translation.

When is Wai Khru held in schools?

It is a traditional rite at the beginning of each academic year, when students show respect to their teachers and present flower trays to them.

08Sources

Palms together,
head bowed.