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Worst Faux Pas from Around the World
WORSTS 
Tags: Fopaw, faux pas, worst, fo, paw, fopa, bad, manners, help, standards, embarass
These are the worst faux pas you could possibly committ in other countries.
| | African regions: A left-handed handshake. Offering and accepting things with the left hand. |
| | Arab countries; Indian Subcontinent; Middle East; East Africa: South-East Asia: Displaying the soles of the feet or touching somebody with shoes. A left-handed handshake or passing food at the table with the left hand. |
| | Brazil: Giving an inverted American OK sign (referring to the anus). |
| | Canada; Scandinavia; Central and Eastern Europe; Japan; Hawaii; India: While in the United States and Western Europe, it is considered acceptable to enter someone's household and leave your shoes on your feet, this behavior is not acceptable in Canada, nor in Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, and most households in Hawaii. |
| | China: Giving someone a timepiece as a gift. See List of faux pas for further explanation. The phrase "giving a timepiece" is a homonym for burying the dead. |
| | Central and Eastern Europe: Shaking hands while wearing gloves (this does not apply to women). |
| | France: Asking for cheese after taking dessert. Asking an individual their job or name directly. Offering someone a gift of chrysanthemums on an occasion other than a funeral (as chrysanthemums are generally associated with death in France). |
| | Greece: Showing the number five by displaying a hand with fingers spread and palm facing the recipient of the gesture is offensive. The same gesture with the palm facing the gesturer is not. |
| | India; Pakistan; Bangladesh; Burma: Eating or shaking hands with the left hand, not greeting family elders at a gathering, addressing elders without salutations. |
| | Japan: When greeting or thanking another person, not bowing lower than an elder or a person of higher social status. |
| | Middle East: Addressing an elder or person higher in social status with his/her bare name. Words like uncle/aunt, (elder) brother/sister or formally Mr./Mrs. are expected to be used. |
| | India; Pakistan: Using the pronoun "TUM" or "TOO" (you), instead of "AAP" (formal you) when talking to an elder or a stranger. Walking with shoes on the carpet inside a house. Calling an "elder" or a "stranger member of opposite sex" with just his name. |
| | Romania; Russia; Slovakia; Czech Republic; Croatia; Hungary; Serbia; Poland; Bulgaria; Ukraine; Estonia; Lithuania; Latvia: Giving somebody an even number of flowers, which should only be done in funerals. |
| | South America, Spain, and other Spanish speaking countries: Neglecting to greet someone at a social / family gathering. Any kind of large gathering of friends or family should be started by greeting every person present (oldest first if possible), and making sure to say goodbye upon leaving. This rule is more relaxed in a group of young people. Generally these formalities are far more relaxed in Spain than in Latin America. |
| | Thailand: Stepping over or standing on bills or coins—they all have the face of the King, who is highly revered. Also, touching a Thai person on their head, as the head is considered a sacred part of the body. Food must be kept above the ground level. |
| | United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa: The "V sign", made by holding the middle and index fingers up so as to form a V-shape (such as when indicating "two" of something), is considered offensive when made with the back of the hand pointed towards the listener, particularly when done so with an upward thrust. It is seen as having similar meaning to "the finger". With the hand held the other way, so the palm points towards the listener, the otherwise identical gesture is perfectly acceptable. |
| | Various countries: In countries with a language that contains a T-V distinction, it is a faux pas to use the informal second person pronoun instead of the formal second person pronoun when addressing an elder or stranger. |
Lister:
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Source:
Wikipedia – All text in this list shared under the GNU License
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