Indian people, like other Asian cultures, prefer not to say no. The Indian wiggle, a very loose wobble of the head from side to side on the neck, can mean yes, no, or anything in between. When it is accompanied by an indeterminate sound, a little like ‘hunh’, it often means yes. A direct ‘yes’ can be lessened or emphasized by a wiggle. It can be quite confusing.

A similar conundrum for the visitor to India is the phrase ‘no problem’.  It is said that in India, “the only problem is ‘no problem’.” Since Indians prefer not to say no, they may, out of politeness, reply ‘no problem’ to a request, when actually satisfying it requires an enormous effort on their part. Be careful not to make a request if you don’t know how difficult it might be to satisfy.

In Bulgaria, people nod their head to say ‘no’ and shake it to say ‘yes’. In some parts of Europe nodding the head can mean ‘I understand what you say’ rather than ‘yes’.

British people often say ‘possibly’ when they mean ‘no’ or ‘not possible’. In the French capital of Paris, on the other hand, people will gladly say ‘no’ and usually with no smiles! To an Asian they might seem incredibly rude. It is worthwhile investigating the culture beforehand if you want to avoid getting your feelings hurt.