Title: Your Complete Guide To Thai Gestures
Headings: Your Complete Guide To Thai Gestures
Your Complete Guide To Thai Gestures
The Thai greeting
The smile
The feet
The head
The hands
The “OK” sign
Walking
Come here
Thumbs up
Throwing things
Hunger Games salute

Content: sah wah dee khaa”
The smile
Thailand’s moniker as “ the land of smiles” is no happy accident – the smile is ubiquitous to Thai culture and itself can convey a whole array of unspoken cues. According to some sources there are 13 different words in Thai for a smile, each attached to different situations ranging from teasing, admiration, disagreement, or politeness. In general, it’s always considered polite to return a Thai’s smile as it’s typically quite genuine. Most Thais believe being too serious is unhealthy and can cause illness, so smile away! Thais have 13 different words for "smile" to relay different emotions | © smalljude / Flickr
The feet
Traditionally, Thais consider feet to be the lowest and filthiest part of the body. As such, pointing your feet at another person or sacred item – such as a statue of the Buddha – is considered extremely disrespectful. This is something of added importance for foreigners, who are often accustomed to crossing their legs while seated and are not usually aware of the direction in which their crossed foot is pointed. It is also considered rude to put your feet up on a table or other surface, and like many Asian cultures it is nearly universally required to take your shoes off before entering a home, business, or even the local store. Putting your feet up on a table or pointing them at someone is considered very rude | © Lukas Horak / Pexels
The head
Conversely, the head is the most sacred place on the human body and like many cultures of Southeast Asia, it is forbidden to touch someone on their head. This is particularly true for children.