The most common form of salutation in an English letter includes the recipient's given name or title.
Examples of non-written salutations are bowing (common in Japan), waving, or even addressing somebody by their name.
[citation needed] If the name of the intended recipient is unknown, acceptable salutations are: In older British usage and current US usage, the abbreviations "Mx", "Ms", "Mr", "Dr", and "Mrs" are typically followed by a period (full stop), but it is common in recent[when?]
Professional titles such as "Professor" are frequently used both in business and in social correspondence, as are those of dignitaries and holders of certain public offices, such as "Mr. President" or "Dear Madam Secretary".
[citation needed] "Ms." is the marital-status-neutral honorific for an adult woman and may be applied in cases in which the marital status is irrelevant or unknown to the author.
"Miss" is the proper form of address for female children and unmarried women, although some consider the latter use to be dated.