Bowing

In Japan, bowing is a very important part of daily life. The Japanese word for bowing is ojigi. Bowing shows respect for people who are important to you. Shown below is a picture of various degrees of bowing. In Japan, the most respectful bow is a saikeirei, or “deep bow.” This is generally 45 degrees. It’s proper to bow at this angle if you are very grateful to someone, or you are talking to your boss or someone in a position higher than you. The keirei (“medium bow”) is generally used when thanking or showing respect to people who are on the same level to you, for example your coworker. The eshaku (“light bow”) is when you are in a higher position than the person you are talking to (your employee, or someone younger than you or in a lower grade in school).


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