Three kisses: how do the Swiss greet friends?

The real rule

Why the Swiss laugh, and what it means if you're new here.

In Switzerland the three kisses are a greeting between friends, not between strangers. A first meeting starts with a handshake, and the kisses can come later. After the pandemic the kisses came back, and SRF says it is fine to skip them. As a newcomer, offer your hand first.

Making friends in Switzerland

The rule, explained

SRF's advice programme Ratgeber describes the ritual: the three kisses begin on the other person's right cheek, and the lips stay firmly closed. It also draws the line: you do not kiss someone you are meeting for the first time. Then the greeting is a handshake. SRF Kultur looked at greetings after the pandemic and found that the three kisses are back, and that it is fine not to give or receive them. The dictionary DWDS defines the Müntschi as Swiss and colloquial: a short, friendly kiss with closed lips, often on the cheek, a dialect diminutive of Mund, the word for mouth. So the kisses are for friends, and the handshake comes first.

Sources: SRF Ratgeber, Küsschen zur Begrüssung: So geht das; SRF Kultur, Begrüssungsrituale nach der Pandemie; DWDS, Müntschi

Questions people ask

Which cheek first for the Swiss three kisses?

The ritual starts on the other person's right cheek, lips closed (SRF Ratgeber).

Do you kiss someone you meet for the first time in Switzerland?

No. Someone you meet for the first time is not kissed; you shake hands (SRF Ratgeber).

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