The Sampeah is a Cambodian

Culture of Cambodia

The culture of Cambodia has had a rich and varied history dating back many centuries, and has been heavily influenced by India. Throughout Cambodia's long history, a major source of inspiration was from religion...

 greeting or a way of showing respect. It is very similar to the Thai

Culture of Thailand

The Culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China, Cambodia, along with the neighbouring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia...

 wai

Thai greeting

The Thai greeting referred to as the wai consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It has its origin in the Indic Añjali Mudrā, like the Indian namasté and the Cambodian sampeah...

 and the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n Añjali Mudrā

Añjali Mudrā

Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana is a hand gesture which is practiced throughout Asia. It is used as a sign of respect and a greeting in India and amongst yoga practitioners and adherents of similar traditions...

/namasté

Namaste

Namaste is a common spoken valediction or salutation originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a customary greeting when individuals meet, and a valediction upon their parting. A non-contact form of salutation is traditionally preferred in India and Namaste is the most common form of such a...

. While performing the sampeah, the person places his palms together in a prayer-like fashion while bowing slightly. The word often spoken with the sampeah when greeting somebody is Chum Reap Suor, while Chum Reap Lear is spoken when saying goodbye.

Although the sampeah is a form of greeting, it is also a common way to say thanks or apologize and is an important part of Khmer culture. There are different ways of bowing when performing the sampeah. When praying to the Buddha

Buddha

In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...

, the person places his palms together close to his or her face and brings his or her hands toward the ground three times. It is also important when one sampeahs to elders. The higher the hands and the lower the bow, the more respect is shown. It is a sign of respect and politeness.