What's Wai in Thailand? The Thai greeting referred to as the wai consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. The word often spoken with the wai as a greeting or farewell is "sawatdee" How do they greet each other in Thailand? Instead of shaking hands, Thais greet each other by “Wai”. They do this by putting their hands together in a prayer-like gesture and raising them to a position somewhere between the chest and forehead and then bowing. The higher the hands are placed, the more respect is shown.
