Definition
A traditional Thai greeting performed by pressing palms together at chest level and bowing slightly; a gesture of respect in Thai culture.
Etymology
From Thai ไหว้ (wâi), derived from Sanskrit वन्दन (vandana) meaning 'salutation' or 'worship'. The gesture combines Hindu-Buddhist traditions of reverence with indigenous Thai customs, reflecting Thailand's syncretic cultural heritage.
Kelly Says
The wai beautifully demonstrates how physical gestures carry deep cultural DNA - this simple palm-pressing motion connects modern Thailand to ancient Sanskrit traditions while maintaining distinctly Thai characteristics. The height of the hands and depth of bow vary precisely based on social relationships and respect levels.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ሰላም (selam)
seh-lahm
ARالعربية
مع السلامة (ma'a as-salāma)
mah-ah-ssah-lah-mah
BNবাংলা
আদিয়ো (adieu)
ah-dee-oh
CSČeština
na shledanou
nah shleh-dah-nou
DEDeutsch
auf Wiedersehen
owf vee-der-zay-en
ELΕλληνικά
αντίο (an-tio)
an-tee-oh
ESEspañol
adiós
ah-dee-ohs
FAفارسی
خداحافظ (khodahafez)
kho-da-ha-fez
FRFrançais
au revoir
oh ruh-vwar
HEעברית
שלום (shalom)
shah-lohm
HIहिन्दी
अलविदा (alvida)
al-vee-dah
HUMagyar
viszlát
vish-lahht
IDBahasa Indonesia
selamat tinggal
seh-lah-mat tig-gal
ITItaliano
arrivederci
ar-ree-ve-der-chee
JA日本語
さようなら (sayōnara)
sah-yo-na-ra
KKKK
қайырма (qayirma)
qay-eer-mah
KMKM
បានជួយ (baan ch'uy)
bahn choo-ee
KO한국어
안녕 (annyeong)
an-nyeong
MRMR
अरेब (areb)
ah-reh-b
MSBahasa Melayu
ta-ta
tah-tah
MYမြန်မာ
ကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ် (kyee zu taing ba ta de)
kyee zu taing ba ta deh
NLNederlands
tot ziens
tot zee-ns
NONorsk
ha det bra
ha det bra
PAPA
ਆਦਿਓ (ādiyō)
ah-dee-oh
PLPolski
do widzenia
doh vee-dzen-ya
PTPortuguês
adeus
ah-deus
RORomână
la revedere
lah reh-veh-deh-reh
RUРусский
до свидания (do svidaniya)
doh svee-dah-nee-ya
SWKiswahili
kwaheri
kwah-heh-ree
TAதமிழ்
வணக்கம் (vaṇakkam)
va-na-kkam
TEతెలుగు
గుడ్ బై (gud bai)
good bai
THไทย
สวัสดี (sawatdee)
sa-wat-dee
TRTürkçe
güle güle
goo-leh goo-leh
UKУкраїнська
до побачення (do pobachennia)
doh pah-bah-chen-nya
URاردو
الوداع (al-wida'a)
al-wee-dah-ah
VITiếng Việt
tạm biệt
tam-bee-et
ZH中文
再见 (zàijiàn)
tsah-jee-en
ZUZU
Hamba kahle
ham-bah kah-leh