Korean bowing

In In Korea, bowing is a normal form of greeting, particularly when meeting those who are senior to you, either in age or in a given social or work-related hierarchy. In addition, it is a customary Confucian tradition to perform the jeol, a deep bow on bent knees, chest touching the floor and the arms stretched forward to show respect to parents or older relatives on special holidays.

Just like many Asian countries, bowing is a big part of greetings in Korea. It’s a way to show respect, say hi, thank you, and bye. So if you’re not sure how or when you should bow, watch this video to find out about bowing in Korea!

– When meeting someone in an informal setting in Korea, just a slight tilt of the head is usually ok. This simple bow is also used when saying hello, bye and thank you.

– For more important meetings (or people), the lower you bow, the more respect it shows (it also shows more respect if you hold the bow for a longer period). Hold your hands to the side or in front of you.

– The most respectful bow is called keunjeol (큰절 – “big bow”). This is only used for the most formal occasions and to show the most respect. Koreans typically give their older family members a big bow (keunjeol) on Lunar New Years (설날 – seollal) and the Harvest Festival (추석 – Chuseok). It’s also used for jesa (제사), which is a traditional Korean ceremony that respects ancestors. Also, men will do this to their fiance’s parents when they ask for their hand in marriage. Sometimes instead of a big bow (keunjeol), Korean girls will give 작은절 (jakeunjeol), aka small bow.