Greg Rodgers is a freelance writer and photographer from Kentucky. Wat Chedi Luang thai peanut dressing Chiang Mai, Thailand. How to Ask “How Are You Doing?

Men say hello with sah wah dee khrap! Interestingly, sawasdee was derived from a Sanskrit word by a Thai professor and has only been in widespread use since the 1940s. The Thai language has five tones: mid, low, falling, high, and rising. That’s even one more than Mandarin, an arguably difficult language to learn. In tonal languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, and Mandarin, the meanings of even deceptively short words change based on the tone with which they are pronounced.

But there is some good news! No one is going to mind too much if you miss the tones when saying hello in Thailand. To say hello in Thai politely, you’ll need to finish your greeting with one of the finishing participles, either khrap or kha. Women end what they say with a drawn-out khaaah which falls in tone. Yes, the male ending sounds like “crap! The tone and enthusiasm of the finishing kha or khrap! If you hope to grasp how tones affect meanings in Thai, start by listening closely to how people say kha and khrap.

Women sometimes switch to a high tone for kha to impart more enthusiasm. Saying khrap or kha alone is like nodding the head verbally and can mean “yes” or “I understand. After learning how to say hello in Thai, you should know how to offer and return a wai — it’s an essential part of Thai etiquette. Thai people don’t always shake hands by default. Instead, they offer a friendly wai, a prayer-like gesture with the hands placed together in front of the chest, fingers pointing upward, head slightly bowed forward.

The wai is used as part of greetings in Thailand, for goodbyes, to show respect, gratitude, acknowledgment, and during the sincere apology. Although an important part of the culture, the wai isn’t unique to Thailand. It’s seen in other countries throughout Asia. King of Thailand and monks are not expected to return someone’s wai.

Unless you’re in one of those two categories, giving a wai incorrectly is still better than not making any effort at all. If you’re shy or slightly confused about the formalities, even pressing your hands together and raising them in front of your body shows good intentions. Place your hands together centered in front of your chest with fingertips pointing up toward the chin. Bow your head forward until the index fingertips touch the tip of your nose. Raise your head back up, smile, keeping hands together at chest level to finish the wai.

The higher the wai in front of your body, the more respect that is shown. Elders, teachers, public officials, and other important people receive higher wai. Monks receive the highest wai, and they do not have to return the gesture. Give monks a higher wai with your hands together and thumbs touching the nose. In a pinch, you can use your right hand or just dip your head to show acknowledgment. Avoid giving a wai to people younger than yourself and beggars. The wai can also be casual, particularly in repetitive circumstances.

For instance, the staff at 7-Eleven may give a wai to each customer at checkout. You can simply nod or smile to acknowledge. Tip: Don’t worry about wai formalities! Thai people wai each other all the time and won’t criticize your efforts. If you’ve got stuff in your hands, making any sort of bowing motion while lifting the hands will suffice for saying, “I acknowledge your wai and would love to return it but my hands are busy. Now that you know how to say hello in Thai, you can expand your greeting further by asking how someone is doing. This is optional, of course, but why not show off a little?

Try following up your hello with sabai dee mai? In essence, you are asking someone, “good, happy, and relaxed, no? The correct responses when someone asks you sabai dee mai? Sabai dee is the default response that you’ll hopefully hear most often.