There are various customs surrounding handshakes, both generally and specific to certain cultures: The handshake is commonly done upon meeting,
greeting, parting, offering congratulations, expressing
gratitude, or as a public sign of completing a business or diplomatic
agreement. In
sports, it is also done as a sign of good
sportsmanship. Its purpose is to convey trust,
respect, balance, and equality. If it is done to form an agreement, the agreement is not official until the hands are parted. Unless health issues or local
customs dictate otherwise, a handshake is made usually with bare hands. It depends on the situation.
By geographic location • In
Anglophone countries, handshaking is common in business situations. In casual non-business situations, men are more likely to shake hands than women. • In the
United States,
United Kingdom and
Canada, a traditional handshake is firm, executed with the right hand, with good posture and eye contact. A handshake where both parties are
standing up is deemed as good
etiquette. • In
Denmark, the final step in
acquiring Danish citizenship is a ceremony at which a handshake with a local official is specifically required (gloves may not be worn). • In
Norway, where a firm handshake is preferred, people most often shake hands when agreeing on deals, in private and business relations. • In
Switzerland, it may be expected to shake the women's hands first. • In some countries such as Turkey or the
Arabic-speaking
Middle East, handshakes are not as firm as in the West. Consequently, a grip that is too firm is considered rude. The handshake may be followed by lightly touching one's heart with one's right hand. • In
Armenia, handshakes are the most common greetings between men, optionally followed by a kiss on the cheek if the two parties have a close relationship. Traditionally, a woman needs to wait for the man to present his hand for the handshake. Women usually greet each other with hugs and a kiss on the cheek. • In
China, age is considered important in handshake etiquette, and older people should be greeted with a handshake before others. A weak handshake is also preferred, but people shaking hands often hold on to each other's hands for an extended period after the initial handshake. • In
Korea, a senior person will initiate a handshake, which is preferred to be weak. It is a sign of respect to grasp the right arm with the left hand when shaking hands. It is considered disrespectful to put the free hand in one's pocket while shaking hands. Bowing is the preferred and conventional way of greeting a person in Korea. • In
Thailand, handshaking is only done if the traditional
wai is not offered. When a person offers a
wai, placing their palms together at chest level and bowing, this is then returned, with men saying “Sawadee-krap” and women saying “Sawadee-kah” (both mean “Hello"). •
Masai men in Africa greet one another by a subtle touch of palms of their hands for a very brief moment of time. • In
Liberia, the
snap handshake is customary in which the two shakers snap their fingers against each other at the conclusion of the handshake. • In
Ethiopia, it is considered rude to use the left hand during a handshake. While greeting the elderly or a person in authority, it is also customary to accompany the handshake with a bow and the left hand supporting the right. • In
Indonesia, it is considered rude to use one's left hand as it is a hand designated for unclean duties. A medium to soft handshake grip is sufficient, since gripping too hard could be considered rude or an act of aggression.
Other • Related to a handshake but more casual, some people prefer a
fist bump. Typically the fist bump is done with a clenched hand. Only the knuckles of the hand are typically touched to the knuckles of the other person's hand. Unlike the formality of a handshake, the fist bump is typically not used to seal a business deal or in formal business settings. • The hand hug is a type of handshake popular with politicians, as it can present them as being warm, friendly, trustworthy and honest. This type of handshake involves covering the clenched hands with the remaining free hand, creating a sort of "cocoon". • In the sport of
fencing, after the
Olga Kharlan handshaking incident in 2023, the
International Fencing Federation changed its rules so that the previously required handshakes between fencers at the end of a bout would become optional, with a distance greeting permitted instead. • In the sport of
Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a specific greeting is generally expected to occur between wrestlers at the opening of the match. It consists of a simple slap of the palms or fingers, followed by a fist-bump. Whilst not generally included in explicit rulesets, it is commonly considered rude and unsportsmanlike not to execute a "slap-bump" before a match. == Germ spreading ==