Greetings

32 cards in this category — of which 24 complete, 8 drafts.

• The three angles of the Japanese bowEshaku 15° (polite), keirei 30° (respect), saikeirei 45° (deep apology).
  CompleteCuriosity
• The māori hongiTwo foreheads, two noses pressed together: sharing the ha, breath of life.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The South Asian namasteTwo palms joined, slight bow: "I salute the divine in you". Ancient Hindu greeting reinterpreted in the West as a generic yoga symbol.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Assalam alaikum"As-salāmu ʿalaykum" / "wa-ʿalaykumu s-salām": the paired peace greetings of Islam -- an ordinary hello often mistaken for a militant marker.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Shalom"Shalom": peace, wholeness -- and the ordinary hello-and-goodbye of Hebrew, older than its misunderstandings (attested at Lachish around 590 BCE).
  CompleteCuriosity
• Sticking out the tongue: the Tibetan greetingBriefly sticking out the tongue: a Tibetan mark of respect and deference (attested since 1846), misread in the West as mockery.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The French Cheek Kiss (La Bise)Greeting by cheek-touching: 1 to 4 kisses depending on region, with ambiguity on how many and which cheek to start.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The Firm American HandshakeFirm grip, direct eye contact, two to three pumps: the US professional greeting standard, read as weak or aggressive depending on the culture.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Greek yassou (hello and health)"Γεια σου", literally "health to you": hello, goodbye and a toast in a single word — the real adjustment is register (familiar σου / polite σας).
  CompleteCuriosity
• Korean inclination and hierarchyCodified Korean greeting: the deeper you bow, the more you respect your interlocutor. A shallow bow can offend.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Vietnamese two-handed handshakeShaking hands with the second hand added (placed on top or enveloping): a mark of formal respect in Vietnam, read in the West as the overly personal 'politician's handshake.'
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• "Monsieur" and "Madame" in France (formal ritual)"Monsieur"/"Madame" + formal "vous": the default formal address in France, often misread as coldness.
  CompleteCuriosity
• The American "How are you?" (rhetorical question)"How are you?" is not a real question in the United States: a phatic greeting, expected answer "Fine, thanks".
  CompleteCuriosity
• The Indonesian 'salim' and 'sungkem'Salim: bringing an elder's hand to one's forehead (everyday). Sungkem: kneeling toward the knees of the seated elder (ritual -- Lebaran, Javanese weddings). Two gestures of deference the West reads as servility.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Brazilian "Oi, tudo bem?" (ritual greeting)"Oi, tudo bem?": a Brazilian phatic greeting — expected answer "Tudo bem, e você?", not a health report.
  CompleteCuriosity
• "Ma'a salama" (Arabic farewell)Maʿa s-salāma ("with safety"): the standard Arabic farewell, a phatic formula that the West sometimes misreads as a religious marker.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• « Tschüss » familier vs « Auf Wiedersehen » formelTschüss (familier, d'origine nord-allemande — pas bavaroise) vs Auf Wiedersehen (formel) : un choix de registre, doublé d'une sensibilité régionale inverse de l'idée reçue.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Finnish "moi" (hello and goodbye)"Moi": the Finnish informal greeting, for hello as for goodbye — farewell is marked by doubling ("moi moi"), not by an elaborate formula.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Hawaiian "Aloha" (hello, goodbye, love, compassion)"Aloha": hello, goodbye and affection in a single word — and a Hawaiian identity issue that tourist marketing trivializes.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Korean "annyeong" vs "annyeonghaseyo" (register)Annyeong vs annyeonghaseyo: Korean register condensed into two forms of the same greeting — the informal one is never said to a stranger.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Russian "ty" and "vy" (informal vs formal address)"Ty" and "vy" in Russian: the grammar of respect — using "ty" uninvited is received as contempt, and the switch to "ty" is a rite.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Thai wai and its response sequenceThe Thai wai is an asymmetric sequence: the junior initiates, the senior responds with a reduced rap wai. Hand height and order of initiation encode hierarchy.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Dutch "Gezellig" (conviviality, not a farewell)Gezellig: the key adjective of Dutch conviviality. "Het was gezellig" is a closing compliment — the actual farewell remains "tot ziens" or "doei."
  CompleteCuriosity
• Thai "Sawasdee" (hello and goodbye superimposed)"Sawasdee": the Thai greeting for hello and goodbye alike — a word coined around 1933 and made official in 1943, which visitors believe to be millennia old.
  CompleteCuriosity
• La poignée souple asiatiqueUne poignée douce signale humilité en Asie, faiblesse perçue en Occident.
  DraftMisunderstanding
• Le baise-main est-européenVarsovie, Vienne : un monsieur s'incline et effleure la main d'une dame — tradition résiliente.
  DraftCuriosity
• Le baiser à la main du prêtre orthodoxeRecevoir la bénédiction orthodoxe : embrasser la main qui l'a donnée.
  DraftCuriosity
• L'échange de meishi (cartes de visite japonaises)Recevoir à deux mains, lire, ne pas ranger en poche arrière — protocole strict.
  DraftInsult
• Le nihao vs les variantes régionalesNihao mandarin neutre ; nei hou cantonais ; et la forme familière ni chi le ma (« t'as mangé ? »).
  DraftCuriosity
• « Comment va ton bétail ? » (Mongolie)Formule de salutation mongole traditionnelle : « Votre bétail prospère ? »
  DraftCuriosity
• Le shoulder-bump éthiopienDeux amis se cognent l'épaule droite contre l'épaule droite — salut éthiopien.
  DraftCuriosity
• La poignée kikuyu avec déférenceUn jeune présente sa main droite, main gauche sous l'avant-bras — déférence kikuyu.
  DraftCuriosity