How ‘Cheers’, ‘Cheese’ and other exclamations change around the world

But to secure a picture of everyone looking happy, old Czech photographers use the phrase “Pozor, Vyleti ptacek”, which literally means “Watch out, a bird will fly out [from the camera]”. French has “Cerise” (Cherry). Danish has “Sig appelsin” (meaning, “Say orange”). In Bulgaria it’s “Zele!” or “Cabbage!”. In Chinese: “Qiézi” (meaning, “Eggplant”). In Indonesian: “Buncis! (“Green beans!”). And in Russian: “Skazhi izyum!” (meaning, “Say raisins!”).

The English say “Cheese” because it shapes the mouth into a smile. Of all of them, Hindi is perhaps the most direct and self-explanatory: “Daat dikhao!” or “Show your teeth!”

As for the act of sneezing, in Japan, one sneeze signifies praise (ichi home); two sneezes, criticism (ni-kusashi); three sneezes, disparagement (san-kenashi) while four or more sneezes suggest, rather understandably, that a cold is on its way (yottsu-ijo wa kaze no moto).

Meanwhile, in Mexico, one sneeze is answered with the word salud (health); two sneezes with dinero (money); three sneezes with amor (love); four or more sneezes with alergías (allergies). Laughter often accompanies four sneezes, because health, money and love are obviously preferable to allergies. In response to someone sneezing, the Germans say “Gesundheit”, or “Health to you”. The French say “À tes souhaits”, literally “To your wishes”.

In Tonga, a sneeze is often taken to be a sign that your loved one is missing you. In Brazil, they say “Saúde” (“Health”) and the sneezer answers “Amen”. In Arabic, the sneezer says, “Alhumdullilah” (”Praise be to God”) first, to which the other person responds, “Yarhamukumu Allah” (”May God have mercy on you”). The sneezer then replies to that with, “Aathabakumu Allah” (”May God reward you”).

In Iran, things are more complex. They say, “Afiyat bashe” (”I wish you good health”). The sneezer replies, “Elahi shokr” (”Thank God for my health”). After the first sneeze, Iranians are supposed to take a break before continuing. If the sneeze interrupts a decision, it’s considered an indication not to go ahead. Ignoring the single sneeze risks bad luck. However, a second sneeze clears the slate and they can do as they wish.

And finally toasts, which happen even where alcohol is not drunk. The most typical drinking toast is to good luck or good health, as with “Na zdravje” (Slovenian), “Salud” (Spanish) or “Egészségedre” (Hungarian). The Ukrainians go further with “Budmo!” meaning, “let us live forever!”

The Scandinavian drinking toast “Skål!”, pronounced “Skoal” and originally meaning “skull”, has a much more macabre background. It’s said to have descended from Vikings, who used the dried-out skulls of their enemies as drinking mugs.

In some cultures, it can be a breach of etiquette not to raise a toast. Others concentrate on the act of drinking in their declarations. In eastern Asia: “Empty the cup” “Dry the glass” or “Bottoms up’ are typical, with “Gunbae” in Korean; “Kanpai” in Japanese and “Gānbē” in Mandarin.

Across the Mediterranean, they include an onomatopoeic version of the clinking of glasses. It’s “Xinxin” (Catalan); “Tchin Tchin” (French); “Cin Cin” (Italian); “Chin-Chin” (Spanish) and “Tim-Tim” or “Tchim-Tchim” (Portuguese). This can go further with variants praising life itself with Albanian: “Gëzuar” (Enjoy); Georgian: “Gaumarjos” (Victory!); Turkish: “Şerefe” (To honour) and Ukrainian: “Budmo” (Let us be!).

Bless you and cheers!

(Adam Jacot de Boinod was a researcher for the first BBC television series QI, hosted by Stephen Fry. He wrote The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from around the World, published by Penguin Books)