Different Formal Greetings Found All Over the World

Natasha Ang

Martina Videla Black

Ivan Singgit

Kathy Yuan

Different Formal Greetings Found All Over the World

It’s not wrong to say that there are unlimited numbers of cultures spread throughout the whole globe. Surprisingly, with such a huge number of, every culture is its own identity and is different from every other culture even though some of them might possess similar values and orders. One important part of culture is how to greet people in formal situations. Here are some greetings customary that can be found from different parts of the world:

Mexico:

When greeting in social situations, women pat each other on the right forearm or shoulder, rather than shake hands

Men shake hands until they know someone well, at which time they progress to the more traditional hug and back slapping.  

South Korea:

Greetings follow strict rules of protocol.

Many South Koreans shake hands with expatriates after the bow, thereby blending both cultural styles. The person of lower status bows to the person of higher status, yet it is the most senior person who initiates the handshake. The person who initiates the bow says, "man-na-suh pan-gop-sumnida", which means "pleased to meet you."

Information about the other person will be given to the person they are being introduced to in advance of the actual meeting.

Japan:

Bowing is considered extremely important in Japan. Bows are performed with the back straight and the hands are the sides pr clasped in the lap and with the eyes down. In Japan, they generally divided into two types of bows: informal bows are made at about fifteen degree and formal bows are about thirty degree.

India:

Westerners may shake hands,however, greeting with ‘namaste’ and placing both hands together with a slight bow is appreciated and shows respect for indian customs.

Men shake hands with men when meeting ot leaving. Men do not touch women when meeting or greeting. Traditional Indian women may shake hands with foreign women but not usually with men.

Saudi Arabia:

In Saudi Arabia, the Islamic teaching are very deep embedded in their root and this affects how greetings are done in that country. It’s better to wait until the men from the country do the greetings. The greetings are usually done with a formal handshake between 2 businessmen. However, in a closer business relationship, there are also the traditional Arab greeting which is both men exchange kisses on the cheeks. Businesswomen should not initiate greetings and wait till someone greeted them. During greetings, it’s also advisable to say "As Salaamu 'Alaykurn” which means “peace be with you” to our Arab partners as a sign of respect.

Nigeria:

In Nigeria, shaking hands is usually an acceptable way of greetings. However, formal greetings in Nigerian culture can vary differently depending on the person you’re greeting. Similar to Saudi Arabia’s culture, Islam is a big influence in Nigeria. It’s better to wait until someone from the culture initiate the greetings. Towards older and more senior businessmen, a bow greeting is preferable as it signifies respect and acknowledgment. It’s also important to stand up when someone is greeting you or when someone important just entered the room, it’s one of those values that’s regarded highly in the culture. Finally, greetings should not be rushed, it’s plainly rude. Use the opportunity to know your counterparts better, it’s fine to ask about personal life

Chile:

Chilean formal greets are always handshakes, and if the people that are greeting didn't knew each other, then they introduce their name and depending on the situation, their position on their jobs.

If the formal relation with a person is getting stronger, and one of them is a woman, then you might start greeting with a kiss on the cheek, but just after both people feel it is appropriate.

Austria:

In Austria, also formal greets are just handshakes, no matter the level of confidence you may have with the other person, because if you are in a formal context, you can’t mix personal life with your job.

As you can see, every greetings in each culture are different from each other. Even neighboring countries such as Japan and Korea or countries with similar lingua franca such as Mexico and Chile don’t exactly have the same cultures and customs while they may share some similarities. Therefore, it’s important not to overgeneralize and rely on stereotypical assumption that “I know about this culture because it’s the same about this other culture.”