1. Stick out your tongue -  Tibet

2. Sniff faces - Greenland and Tuvalu (Press cheeks together and take a deep breath)

3. Bow - Cambodia, India, Japan, Laos or Thailand (Men bow with their hands at their sides and women with their hands on their thighs. The more respect you want to show, the deeper you will bow, going up to 90 degrees.)

4. Put your hand on your heart – Malaysia (Take the opposite person’s hands lightly in yours. Then release the other person’s hands, bringing your own hands to your chest and nodding slightly to symbolize goodwill and an open heart)

5. Clap your hands - Zimbabwe and Mozambique (Clap once. Men clap with fingers and palms aligned and women with their hands at an angle.)

6. Cheek to Cheek or Air kiss – Middle East, Latin America, The Philippines (Perform a “cheek to cheek” motion instead of a proper double kissing)

7. Kiss on the cheeks - France, Italy, Portugal (Give two kisses on the cheeks of the other person)

8. Rub noses - New Zealand (greet each other making “nose-nose” contact)

9. Pagmamano  - The Philippines (bow your forehead towards the back of a person’s hand, then press your forehead against it)

10. Handshake – Most European and American cultures

11. Spit – Maasai (Kenya and northern Tanzania) - (spit in your palm before shaking hands)

1. Stick out your tongue -  Tibet

The greeting began with Tibetan monks, who would stick out their tongues to show that they were not the reincarnation of a cruel 9th-century king known for having a black tongue, as a sign that they come in peace.

2. Sniff faces - Greenland and Tuvalu

In the island of Tuvalu, Polynesians are greeting people by pressing cheeks together and taking a deep breath. In Greenland, kunik, is part of the Inuit tradition, and consists in placing your nose and upper lip against someone’s cheek or forehead and sniffing (typically limited to very close relationships).

3. Bow - Cambodia, India, Japan, Laos or Thailand

Quite common in South and East Asia. It is widely used in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, as handshakes and physical contact between strangers and acquaintances is typically avoided. The greeting has many forms. For example in India, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, people put their palms together in the prayer position at heart level or higher before bowing. Furthermore, in Thailand, the higher you place your hands, the more respect you’re showing. For Japan, men bow with their hands at their sides and women with their hands on their thighs. The more respect you want to show, the deeper you will bow, going up to 90 degrees.

4. Put your hand on your heart - Malaysia

It is a formal way of greeting, consisting in taking the opposite person’s hands lightly in yours, releasing the other person’s hands, bringing your own hands to your chest and nodding slightly to symbolize goodwill and an open heart. It’s polite for the other person to return the gesture. Men should wait for local women to extend a hand, and if they don’t, a man should put a hand on his chest and give a slight nod.

5. Clap your hands - Zimbabwe and Mozambique

In Zimbabwe, the first person claps once, and the second person twice, in response. Men clap with fingers and palms aligned, and women with their hands at an angle. In Northern Mozambique, people clap three times before they say “moni” (hello). 

6. Cheek to Cheek or Air kiss - France, Italy, Portugal, Latin America, The Philippines, Ukraine and Québec, Canada

In Latin American and Middle Eastern countries, you introduce yourself with “kisses” that are more of a “cheek to cheek” motion instead of a proper double kissing. In Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, São Paulo (Brazil) and Colombia, one air kiss is typical. In Spain, Portugal, Québec, Paraguay, Italy, The Philippines and Paris, it’s two. In Russia and Ukraine, it’s three, and in some parts of France, it’s up to four on alternating cheeks. In all of these countries, women air kiss women, and in most of them, men air kiss women. In Argentina men also routinely brush cheeks with other men who aren’t relatives or romantic partners. 

7. Kiss on the cheeks - France, Italy, Portugal

When meeting a friend or a person you know, you give each other two kisses on the cheeks, in France as many as three (and even five in Corsica!). This does not happen when introducing yourself to someone new, as in this occasion a simple handshake is enough. Italians start on the right then go left, while the latter, like the French, go in the opposite direction.

8. Rub noses - New Zealand

In New Zealand, some people greet each other making “nose-nose” contact. The Maori people have a similar special greeting that is called hongi: while shaking the hand of a person you’ve met, look them in the eyes and slowly approach them until your nose and forehead come to touch. At that point, you close your eyes and you stand for a few seconds.

9. Pagmamano  - The Philippines

The pagmamano is the typical greeting the Filipino people use to show respect to the elderly. You bow your forehead towards the back of a person’s hand, then press your forehead against it. The gesture is seen as a blessing, and that is why you must ask for permission before performing

10. Handshake – Most European and American cultures

In most of Europe and America, a handshake is enough for greeting someone. Typically it should be firm while variations about the eye contact, when and for which gender it is appropriate, do appear (some cultures favour eye contact, in some only men perform this gesture or men do it with women if the latter initiates the greeting)

11. Spit – Maasai (Kenya and northern Tanzania.)

Maasai people live in Kenya and northern Tanzania. For them, spitting is a sign of respect. It is done to greet each other, to welcome or bid farewell to a friend, to clinch a bargain and to wish someone good luck. When greeting, they spit in their palms before shaking hands