Hand-kissing is a greeting gesture that indicates courtesy, politeness, respect, admiration or even devotion by one person toward another. A hand-kiss is considered a respectful way for a gentleman to greet a lady. Today, non-ritual hand-kissing is rare and takes place mostly within conservative class or diplomatic contexts. Today, the hand kiss has largely been replaced by a kiss on the cheek or a handshake.

A non-ritual hand-kiss can be initiated by the lady, who would hold out her right hand with the back of the hand facing upward; or by the gentleman extending his right hand with the palm facing upward to invite the lady to put her right hand lightly on it facing downward. The gentleman may bow towards the offered hand and (often symbolically) would touch her knuckles with his lips, while lightly holding the offered hand. However, the lips do not actually touch the hand in modern tradition, especially in a formal environment where any intimate or romantic undertones could be considered inappropriate. The gesture is short, lasting less than a second.

In Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Somalia, and Brunei, hand-kissing is a common way to greet elder people of all genders, primarily the closest relatives (both parents, grandparents, and uncles or aunts) and teachers. Occasionally, after kissing the hand, the greeter will draw the hand to his own forehead. In the Philippines, the gesture evolved into just touching the hand to the forehead; hand-kissing itself has become a separate kind of gesture that has merged with the European custom concerning when it may be used.

In Southern Italy, especially Sicily, the verbal greeting "I kiss the hands." (Italian: "Bacio le mani.") derives from this usage. Similarly, in Hungary the verbal greeting "I kiss your hand." (Hungarian: "Kezicsókolom.") is sometimes used, especially when greeting elders and in rural communities. The shortened version "I kiss it." (Hungarian: "Csókolom.") is more wide spread.

In Romania the gesture is reserved for priests and women and it is common greeting when first introduced to a woman in parts of the country. The verbal expression towards women is "I kiss your hand" (Romanian: "sarut mana" and sometimes shortened to "saru-mana") Towards priests it is sometimes changed into "i kiss your right" due to the belief that the right hand of the priest is holy and blessed regardless of the priest himself and any eventual shortcomings. In the past both parents used to get their hand kissed and seen as a type of blessing, however the expression is now almost exclusively towards women.

The hand-kiss is used quite prominently in The Godfather series, as a way to indicate the person who is the Don. It also features in period films, such as Dangerous Liaisons.