Japanese people bow like crazy! In Japanese culture, お辞儀 ojigi (“bowing”) is the essential part of any greeting. It shows respect to others. To be able to bow properly is a must-have skill if you plan to go to Japan! So here’s a crash course on how to bow.
There are three basic types of bows: light, medium, and deep.
1. Light bows are taken when you greet people in passing. You can verbally greet a person (for example, こんにちは Konnichiwa (“Hello”)) and take a light bow at the same time, but it is fine to just bow with a smile without saying a word. You take a light bow by tilting your upper body forward to about a 15 degree angle.
2. Medium bows are taken when you want to greet someone formally, to show gratitude, or to pay respect. The common phrases that accompany a medium bow are ありがとうございます Arigatoo gozaimasu (“Thank you”), よろしくお願いします Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (“Nice to meet you”), and 失礼します Shitsuree shimasu (”Goodbye” formal). You take a medium bow by tilting your upper body forward to about a 30 degree angle.
3. Deep bows are taken when the highest respect must be shown. For example, in business situations, deep bows are taken before an important client. You would also see this bow when a sincere apology must be expressed. You may see a Japanese senior executive taking a deep bow at a press conference to demonstrate remorse following a corporate scandal. A deep bow is taken by tilting your upper body forward to about a 45 degree angle. That’s deep!
Check out the video below for visual instructions on these three types of bows. The video demonstrates light, medium, and deep bows respectively and in that order. Also, at the very end of this video, you’ll see an example of how not to bow. This involves bowing only your head. Lame! The proper way is to tilt your whole upper body starting at the waist.
One last fun fact: Japanese people often bow even when they are talking on the phone. Bowing is so engrained in our daily social interactions that we perform the operation even when no one can see it.
