“Different Handshakes in Asia”

A Written Report

Prepared for
Dulce Silva
Purposive Communication Instructor

Group Members:
Mark Daniel Barrion
Paul Steven Pamplona
Alyssa Jamielyn Capili
Jhon Rafael Garcia
 On September 27, 2022, the group was created by our professor, Miss Dulce
Silva, for our subject, Purposive Communication. More specifically, the group
was created to discuss the different handshakes of Asian countries, where
people use this gesture to welcome or express greetings to someone.
Furthermore, our group chooses to assign the parts for the presentation so that
everyone has a contribution. Moreover, as we explored that this topic has a
broader side, the group found out that Asian countries have different ways of
welcoming or expressing greetings to someone. Some of them prefer to bow
rather than handshake because of cultural differences. By that, we added it to the
presentation that this gesture can be suitable for some people but not for
everyone. Along with this, below is the information about the handshake that we
put in the PowerPoint presentation:

A handshake is an act of greeting someone by clasping their hands in yours

and giving a brief, firm, up-and-down shake. The handshake is commonly used in

western countries. It is a form of non-verbal communication we use to express

gratitude or respect. But some countries have different handshakes depending

on their culture and beliefs. Different cultures and beliefs lead to the creation of

different gestures as a sign of greeting-Bow, Hand over heart Greeting and

pressed palms and a bow. A bow is an act of lowering the torso and head as a

social gesture in the direction of another person or symbol. In some countries,

like Japan and Korea, A handshake is a form of aggression, so they prefer to

bow than to handshake. In addition to that, the lower you bow, the deeper you

show respect to someone. As for China, a handshake is equivalent to "egality",

or being equal in social or political aspects. But Chinese people have a

hierarchical respect for their culture; that's why they prefer to bow to show

respect that both of you are not equal in social and political aspects. In China,

after bowing, they're going to first introduce their honorific before they tell their

name. In that, you can tell that they want to express that they are above you.

While in Myanmar, there are 2 gestures that they use. First, the hand is placed

near the stomach instead of the chest. Lastly, your palms are pressed together at

face-level while bowing your head; it is used when greeting monks. Moreover, in

countries like Thailand and Myanmar, they are used to doing their handshake in

the act of clasping their palm and then bowing. By making this gesture, it shows

respect. Somehow, in Thailand, their gesture of showing respect is known as

"wai". In Thailand, "wai" is composed of three levels. Level 1 wai is used to greet

monks and royal family members. Level 2 wai is used to greet people older than

you, and Level 3 wai is used to greet people younger than you. While in

Myanmar, there are 2 gestures that they use. First, the hand is placed near the

stomach instead of the chest. Lastly, your palms are pressed together at face-

level while bowing your head; it is used when greeting monks.

After we discover the different types of handshakes in different Asian countries,

we can see that there's a wide difference in addressing someone in different

countries and it's because of their culture and beliefs. However, we can already
conclude that despite this difference, we should always respect it and as long as

we consider these unique characteristics, we can still live in a healthy society.