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"Peace be upon you" - a universal Islamic greeting conveying divine blessing. Simple to pronounce, theologically profound.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Shalom"Peace" in Hebrew. A universal daily greeting in Israel, simpler and more direct than its Muslim or Hindu religious equivalents.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Language output: Tibetan greetingsTongue slightly out, smile: Tibetan greeting of welcome and respect. Tibetan equivalent of the Western smile, often misinterpreted 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
• Greek yassou (good morning and good health)the Greek "À ta santé" functions as hello, farewell and toast. One word, three registers.
  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 handshakeTwo hands, a handshake: a sign of respect in Vietnam, suspected of intimacy in the West.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• "Monsieur" and "Madame" in France (formal ritual)French vouvoiement rituals: formalized respect, cross-cultural misunderstanding of social proximity.
  CompleteCuriosity
• "American "How are you?"How are you?" is not a real question in the USA: English-speaking linguistic traps in the greeting.
  CompleteCuriosity
• Indonesian "salam" and "sungkemSalam sungkem: nose on hand to express respect and deference in Indonesia, a source of Western unease.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• "Brazilian "Oi, tudo bem?"Oi, tudo bem? brazilian conviviality that's baffling in its formal non-reciprocity.
  CompleteCuriosity
• "Ma'a salama" (Arabic farewell)Ma'a salama: Arab farewell saturated with religious meaning and security, source of post-9/11 tension.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• "Bavarian "Tchüss" vs. formal "Auf WiedersehenTchüss vs Auf Wiedersehen: Bavaria vs Prussia, the same farewell, two cultural registers.
  CompleteCuriosity
• finnish "I" (farewell and invitation)finnish "I": a single word for farewell and invitation, internal prosodic polysemy.
  CompleteCuriosity
• hawaiian "Aloha" (hello, goodbye, love, compassion)Aloha: a Hawaiian word for six emotions, commercialized and reduced to exoticism by Western tourism.
  CompleteInsult
• korean "Annyeong" vs. "Anyeonghaseyo" (register)Annyeong vs Anyeonghaseyo: Korean hierarchy condensed into two forms of the same greeting.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• Tu/Vous russes: "ty" and "vy" (register)Tu/Vous russes: respectful grammar, linguistic pitfalls for foreigners.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• The Thai "wai" and its response sequenceWai thaï: a greeting in which the height of the hands and the depth of the body determine the hierarchy of relationships.
  CompleteMisunderstanding
• dutch "Gezellig" (atmosphere rather than farewell)Dutch gezellig: a farewell that praises the atmosphere rather than simply closing it.
  CompleteCuriosity
• thai "Sawasdee" (superimposed hello and goodbye)Sawasdee: a single Thai word for three superimposed emotional registers (hello, goodbye, blessing).
  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