Is it OK to shake somebody's left hand? How about passing the salt with your southpaw? We've got the tea on the times you shouldn't use your left hand, and we're about to spill it—with the proper hand, of course.
10 Times You Shouldn’t Use Your Left Hand
Updated on Jan. 21, 2025
Shaking hands
Virtually anywhere you may go in the world, the rules of etiquette dictate that you should extend the right hand, as opposed to the left, for a shake. Let’s start with the obvious: Since most people are right-handed, they do things with their right hands. It would be pretty awkward if you didn’t do that handshake cross where your right hands connect just so. That said, shaking with your left hand goes beyond mere logistical issues—it is simply seen as the “incorrect” way to shake hands. In some cases, a left-handed handshake might be used deliberately as an act of rebellion, disrespect or protest, particularly in cultures where the right hand is the norm. By using the left hand, the person may be signaling nonconformity or expressing disdain.
All of this, according to Goss, likely traces back to the left hand’s above-referenced association with bathroom business. It’s an association so deeply rooted that in many cases, people may not ever even think about it; they just know to extend the right hand.
So is it OK to shake someone’s left hand? “If for any reason someone is unable to shake with their right hand,” Goss says, “then it is acceptable to extend the left, at least in the U.S.”
Opening the car door
Using your left hand to open your car from the left-hand side (in the United States, the driver’s side) increases the risk of “dooring” accidents. (A dooring accident describes one in which a bicycle rider comes up alongside the car and gets smacked by the opening door.) If you open the driver’s side car door with your right hand, you’ll be forced to angle your body—and your visual perspective—toward the left side of the car, which is where a bicyclist would be approaching from. Of course, if you see someone approaching, you can stop yourself from opening the door into their oncoming path. Referred to as the “Dutch reach,” according to Goss, this intentional use of the right hand to open the left-side car door makes a lot of sense.
Communicating using sign language
In sign language, the right hand tends to be the dominant hand. But the reason is not so much a matter of etiquette as it is of expedience. Simply put, “sign language is best conveyed using the dominant hand, and consistently so,” Goss explains. As noted above, more people are right-handed than left-handed. Where etiquette does come in, however, is that if you’re signing with your right hand, it’s best not to switch to the left—and vice versa. The reason, according to Goss, is that doing so might be disorienting to the sign-language reader. Switching hands can confuse the person you are communicating with and may alter the meaning of certain signs.
Passing food and drinks at the dining table
In the United States and many other Western cultures, it is customary to pass both food and drink to the right. The reason for this cardinal rule regarding table manners? It imposes much-needed order on dining tables that might otherwise be made chaotic by human hands passing food and beverages every which way. So by favoring your right hand, you’re keeping food moving around the table in one direction only. Sorry, left hand—you’re only needed for the occasional assist when something’s heavy!
Eating anything in certain countries
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of dining at an authentic Ethiopian restaurant, then you may be familiar with the tradition of using your hands to eat food. But there is one notable catch: Only the right hand will do. That’s because—you guessed it—Ethiopia has a deep-rooted association with the left hand being unclean. It may not even be a conscious thought, but it would still be regarded as distasteful, rude and more than a little gross. The same is true in India and Ghana, Goss tells Reader’s Digest.
Exchanging gifts in parts of Asia and the Middle East
In some countries, including parts of Asia and the Middle East, “using the left hand to present a gift can be seen as insulting,” says Whitmore. Again, this goes back to the left hand being associated with personal-hygiene tasks. As a result, a gift presented with the left hand would seem disingenuous, at best—and downright icky, at worst. “This [also] extends to handling important documents and money in these countries,” Whitmore adds. This can be especially problematic in workplace scenarios. Basically, if you’re offering anything of value to another person who lives in one of the aforementioned areas, avoid doing so with the left hand—or you run the risk of conveying a lack of respect or care.
Passing anything by hand in India
In some cultures, favoring the right hand is not just about a cultural bias against the left, but rather, an affirmative association between the right hand and “good” things. In Hinduism, for example, the right hand is used for performing rituals, giving offerings and receiving prasad (sacred food). It is seen as the hand of purity and respect. So using the right hand to pass items like food, money or gifts is a sign of respect and good manners, according to Whitmore.
Waving “hello” in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East
At this point, it’s probably pretty clear that whenever you’re traveling abroad, it’s important to consider whether the country you’re visiting is among those that regard the left hand as the one that conducts “unclean” tasks. Because in some of these countries, including parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, it’s not just about what and whom you touch with your left hand—even waving “hello” from a distance could be considered a rude gesture when done with the left hand. To be safe, says Whitmore, remember this: “For all positive and respectful social interactions, the right hand is favored.”
Writing in Japanese
As noted earlier, while some of the negativity associated with the use of the left hand is deeply ingrained on an emotional level, some is more a matter of practicality. This is true when it comes to writing in Japanese. It isn’t necessarily “taboo” to use the left hand when writing, but doing so could make the task significantly more arduous. “This is because the strokes often move from left to right and top to bottom, which aligns naturally with the right-handed motion,” Goss explains. Nevertheless, lefties can still use their left hand to write; they just need to exercise extra care so they don’t smudge the ink.
Doing pretty much anything in China
Remember how we said that only around 10% to 12% of the world identifies as left-handed? Well, in China, that percentage dips to just over 3%. And if it were a decade ago, we’d be talking more like 1%. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Chinese people are less likely to produce left-handed children. Instead, it reflects the fallout from China’s ongoing prejudice against lefties and resulting left-handed punishment. In China, it is common for children who demonstrate a preference for their left hand to be trained to become righties, according to Goss. “This reflects a strong, deep bias,” she notes. “Although it is slowly declining in some urban areas, it remains a significant cultural issue.”
About the experts
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Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of etiquette stories that help readers navigate communication in a changing world. We regularly cover topics such as the best messages to send for any occasion, polite habits that aren’t as polite as they seem, email and texting etiquette, business etiquette, tipping etiquette, travel etiquette and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experience where appropriate. For this piece on whether it’s OK to shake hands with your left hand and other left-handed etiquette questions, Lauren Cahn tapped her experience as a journalist who covers knowledge and history for Reader’s Digest. Then Jacqueline Whitmore, a business etiquette expert and hospitality consultant with more than 30 years of experience who owns the Protocol School of Palm Beach, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Jan Goss, founder of Show Up Well Consulting and author of Protocol Power; email interview, August 2024
- Jacqueline Whitmore, etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Palm Beach; email and phone interviews, August 2024
- American Psychological Association: “Human handedness: A meta-analysis.”
- National Journal of Physiology, Pharmacy and Pharmacology: “A study on inter-finger variation and hand dominance in peripheral capillary oxygen saturation values recorded from the different fingers of the hands by pulse oximetry”
- CNN Traveler: “A Guide to Eating with Your Hands Around the World”
- Statista: “The Countries with the Most Left-Handed People”
- Endeavour: “Why are there (almost) no left-handers in China?”
- New Scientist: “People in China are the least likely to report being left-handed”
