Comments on: Greeting Customs – How do you greet people where you’re from?

By: Mary ann

Mary ann — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 05:19:42 +0000

What about Korea, the Netherlands and Spain? Also which countries is it important to keep a certain distance from the person u are greeting? Home work then you all ;-)

By: farbod faramarzi

farbod faramarzi — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:47:35 +0000

i am a teacher from iran a exactly an english teacher.our custom in greeting part to part is different.if it is for the first time and formal situation between 2men or 2women shake hands.becausmahrame of our religion we cant touch to namahram
but for relatives it is different kissing hugging are common

By: scotland?

scotland? — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 23:29:09 +0000

WHat about scotland?!?!

By: Kissing Culture-How Many Kisses Do You Give In Each Country | Street Talk Savvy

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 09:34:05 +0000

[...] you meet the female partner of a male acquaintance, no kissing is the polite standard. This blog Mamalisa.com sums up the greeting given in the United [...]

By: golshan

golshan — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:21:23 +0000

Hi!
I’m from Iran. If you’re a man and wanna greet a woman you shouldn’t shake hand or kiss or something like it. The reason is our belief that doesn’t allow us to touch. But if both of you are a man or woman there’s not any problem and if you become more intimate it would be better.

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:05:45 +0000

I’m from DFW, Texas and we just straight up shake hands. In less its an old lady and she might give you a kiss on the cheek if she knows ya.

By: Ariel

Ariel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:32:51 +0000

Hi! I’m From Virginia (USA) we greet people by how well we know each other. I always greet my Grandma/mama (Yes I still call her mama) with a hug and kiss. My dad with a hug and kiss. My friends with a hug and kiss as well.

Other people great with a handshake or a hug, or a ‘hello/hi/what’s up’ or some form of a greeting. So I guess it depends on how comfortable with someone here in the states mostly.

By: Chika

Chika — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 22:48:06 +0000

I’m from Norway and although it’s normal for us to greet with a hug, we only do so with friends we know. It actually also depends on the person. Its quite seldom that I greet a person I don’t know with a hug unless they’re a friend of my friends.

Where I’m from originally (Nigeria) it is not really a custom to hug someone, which is why the hug may seem distant if you do receive one. But it also depends on the person I guess. Some people like hugging and some don’t, and some people just aren’t used it.

Since I am very interested in Korean culture, I am very wary of hugging a Korean upon our first or even second meet, even if it is to say goodbye – as I was once a little offended by having received a rejection from a Korean I had asked to hug upon his leaving for his country. I know not to ask now, or take offence if the answer is no ^^

By: ELLA

ELLA — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:52:58 +0000

I am from the PHILIPPINES, kissing with strangers is not appropriate here in our country. We usually handshakes and just say “Hi” or “Hello” to people we met for the first time. Kissing and hugging is only for friend and families. We also have a tradition for greeting elders especially our grand parents, we do what is called “PAG- MAMANO”, which means we take the hand of the elder/grand parent and bring it to our forehead, it’s our sign of our respect to them.

I just want to share our simple way of greeting to those people who want to visit our country someday!
so they already have an idea on how to greet Filipinos.

By: chamorrito

chamorrito — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:07:08 +0000

i am native Chamorro, from Guam/Marianas Islands. We greet usually with a kiss on one cheek. But when you greet the elders we do what is called, MA’NGI’NGI, which means, to sniff or inhale. You take the hand of your elder and bring it to your nose and sniff their hand. It is an act of inhaling the wisdom and goodness of your elders. Elderly people will do similar when greeting young children or babies. What appears to be a kiss on the cheek is actually a small sniff. Perhaps a way for the elder to steal a little of the child’s vigor and energy as a way to extend their old age. It is usually a very short sniff as not to take all of the life from the baby. hehehe.

By: mais

mais — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:20:08 +0000

i come from jordan and here greetings are abit defferent women kiss each other on the cheek twice normaly but it could be more in holidays and happy events while men only shake hands
however men never shake hands with a woman unless she’s realated like a neice an aunt or sth like it
by the way my country is in the middle east

By: Ehsan

Ehsan — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:28:52 +0000

hi i am from Iran .when we see some one for first time just we say salaam,but with friends they do handshake,hugk ,kiss for same sex . but with oposit sex just we say salaam except family ,relations and close friend.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 10:54:18 +0000

Hailing from the United States’s Northwestern corner, particularly from Oregon.

Depending on what region of America you’re from, greetings tend to be a little different, but almost all of them seem to rely on voice and very little on touch. I was raised Christian within a semi-conservative family, and relatives are usually greeted with emphatic hugs. But when greeting strangers, it’s usually a smile and an earnest hello, and a little small-talk to be polite, sometimes a handshake depending on the formality of the situation.

Another point that might be worth researching for you is the ill-famed “Christian Side-Hug,” which I’ve never seen enforced/adopted by Christians I know, but it’s out there and it’s pretty silly.

By: kim

kim — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 18:52:11 +0000

I am also from Canada – living in Quebec but I am and English Canadian (who happens to also speak French). In Quebec, a kiss on each cheek is standard – between women, woman to man and often times between very good male friends (brothers, best buddies, cousins etc.). If the guy is particularly macho, he will not be kissing his buddies in public. Family greetings are rather more intimate, as one would expect.

However, there is a growing phenomenon in English speaking regions of all of Canada for men and women to do a kiss on one cheek greeting. I am seeing this more and more. It is only a greeting between the sexes (meaning I have yet to observe two women greet this way, or two men) and it is even being done in certain business environments. I say SAY YES TO THE KISS!

By: joanna

joanna — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:22:54 +0000

well iam christian.we greet brothers and sisters from church by kissing them on the ckeeks. except man to man they just shake their hands to eachother. but it depends of the country we live iam dominican so here is use to kiss or shake hands asswell….thanks

By: Nylatak

Nylatak — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:41:53 +0000

In Australia, we both greet and say goodbye to our friends and family by hugging them. If seporating from a group we hug everyone, and sometimes our closest friends we will hug a few times. With people he have never met we shake hands or simply raise a hand and give a verbal greeting.

By: april

april — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:00:17 +0000

I say that they should

By: Korea

Korea — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:55:30 +0000

in Korea, between single women and men, we kiss and get it on.
between men, we bow. between unavilable men and women, we bow as well.

By: new world

new world — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 20:08:20 +0000

I am from the USA and it seams like we have lost contact with each other if you want to say hi or goodbye or anything in between you TEX! that’s what it has come down to. We don’t see each other we just communicate throw technology! What have we come to!!! Shame on everyone who has lost contact of being face to face with people. It is so sad when you tex someone if you are at the same table as them!!! We live in a sad detached world at least where I live! To all you other country’s don’t let this happen to you!!!!!

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:04:06 +0000

I’m from Louisiana, USA, and I must admit, this is all very fascinating! Here, we greet each other depending not on gender, but on how familiar you are and age. For younger girls and boys, when greeting a stranger, all you do is say “Hi” and maybe wave. If an adult is involved in anyway, when greeting a stranger, you shake hands. But, if you are at all familiar with the person (you don’t have to have a close relationship) you hug when greeting each other, no matter the age or gender. We rarely ever kiss each other as a greeting, but if so, only an adult man would kiss the cheek of a female family member (like his mother or sister). Besides that, I never greet any of my friends or family members without hugging them. It would almost be rude if I didn’t.