In English-speaking countries, a common response to a sneeze by those around is "God bless you", or "Bless you". The origins and purpose of this tradition are unknown, and several competing explanations have been proposed over time; (1) Preventing the soul from departing one's body, as explained in the "Beliefs and Cultural Aspects" section above; (2) An effort to prevent possible death due to a lethal disease such as the plague pandemics of the fourteenth century; and (3) A method of protection against evil spirits entering the body through the open mouth of a sneezing individual.

Today, it is said mostly in the spirit of good manners.

In various other cultures, words referencing good health or a long life are used instead of "Bless you".

• In Albanian, one says shëndet (shuhn-det).
• In Arabic, (Levantine Arabic) the response is صحة (Sahha), which likely evolved from the word صحة (Sihha), meaning "health", or نشوة (Nashweh) which means "ecstasy". The response is either thank you شكراً (Shukran) or تسلم (Tislam/Taslam) which means "may you be kept safe". In Egyptian Arabic, the typical response to a sneeze is يرحمكم الله (yarhamkom Allah) and the answer is يرحمكم و يرحمنا (yarhamkom wa yarhamna) or شكراً (thank you).
• In Armenian, one says առողջություն (aroghjootyoon).
• In Azeri, sneezing is usually followed by the response Sağlam ol, which means "be healthy"
• In Bulgarian, one says Наздраве (Nazdrave), which means "[to your] health" or "cheers". The person who has sneezed can then say Благодаря (Blagodarya), which means "Thank you."
• In Chinese, one says 不好意思 (bù hǎo yì si) (Standard Mandarin) or 唔好意思 (Standard Cantonese), meaning "excuse me" or "sorry".
• In Dutch, one usually says Gezondheid (literally translated as "health") or Proost (which means "cheers", see Latin below).
  In Estonian, one says Terviseks, which means "[to your] health".
• In Finnish, one says Terveydeksi, which means "[to your] health".
• In French, after the first sneeze, one says à vos souhaits which means "to your desires". If the same person sneezes again, the second response is à vos amours, which means "to your loves."
• In German, Gesundheit ([to your] "Health") is occasionally said after a sneeze.
• In Greek, Yasou is said after a sneeze.
• In Hebrew, one says לבריאות (labri'ut/livri'ut), meaning "to health".
• In Hungarian, one says Egészségedre!, which means "[to your] health".
• In Icelandic, one says Guð hjálpi þér! ("God help you!"). There is also an old custom to respond three times to three sneezes like so: Guð hjálpi þér ("God help you"), styrki þig ("strengthen you"), og styðji ("and support").
• In Irish, one says Dia linn!, which means "God [be] with us!"
• In Italian, one says Salute, which means "[to your] health".
• In Japanese, a sneezer might apologize for the outburst, by saying すみません (Sumimasen) or 失礼しました (Shitsurei shimashita), meaning "excuse me". In formal occasions and less often within the family, after one sneezes, someone else blesses them by saying おだいじに (O-daiji ni), meaning "Take care" in informal contexts and something along the lines of "Get well soon" in a more formal situation.
• In Kyrgyz, one says Акчуч! [aqˈʧuʧ] (which may be based on an onomatopœia of the sound of a sneeze, like English "atchoo" discussed above), to which one may respond Ракмат!, meaning "thank you", if the person who said "акчуч" is liked.
• In Lithuanian, one says Į sveikatą, which means "to your health". And person which sneezes answer Ačiū that translates as "Thank you".
• In Maltese, one says Evviva, which comes from the Latin for "he/she is alive!".
• In Norway, Sweden and Denmark, one says Prosit - Latin for "may it advantage (you)".
• In Persian, if the sneeze is especially dramatic, Afiat bahsheh (عافیت باشه) is said.
  In Polish, Na zdrowie ([to your] "Health") is said after a sneeze as is Sto lat ([I wish you] a hundred years [of health]).
• In European Portuguese one says Santinho, which means "Little Saint", while in Brazilian Portuguese, one says Saúde, which means "[to your] health".
• In Romanian, one says Sănătate ("[to your] health") or Noroc ("[to your] luck"). Also if one sneezes during a conversation, that person is said to agree with or approve of the topic.
• In Russian, the appropriate response is будь здоров(а) which means "be healthy." For sneezer it is polite to reply спасибо meaning "thank you."
• In Serbian, Na zdravlje (almost always pronounced nazdravlje) ([to your] "Health") is said after a sneeze. For sneezer it is polite to reply Hvala meaning "thank you."
• In Slovak, Na zdravie ([to your] "Health") is said after a sneeze. For sneezer it is polite to reply Ďakujem meaning "thank you."
• In Somali, one says Jir, which means "Live Long".
• In Spanish, one says either Salud, which means "[to your] health" or "Jesús".
• In Tamil, one says Nooru aayisu for the first time, which means "(Have a life of) 100 years", for the second time it would be Theerga-aayisu which means "(Have) a Long life" and for the third time it would be Poorna-aayisu which means "(Have) a healthy long life".
• In Telugu, particularly around the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the phrase is Chiranjeeva, which translates to "(May you be blessed with a) Life without death".
• In Turkish, a sneezer is always told to Çok Yaşa, i.e. "Live Long", which in turn receives a response of either Sen De Gör ("[and I hope that] you see it") or Hep Beraber ("all together"). This is to indicate the sneezer's wish that the person wishing them a long life also has a long life so they can "live long" "all together". For more polite circles, one might say Güzel Yaşayın, i.e. "[May You] Live Beautifully", which may be countered with a Siz de Görün ("[And may You] witness it").
• In Urdu, the response is traditionally Al-hum-do-lillah, i.e. "Allah (God) Bless You", which is similar to "Bless You".
• In Vietnamese, the response is traditionally Sống lâu, i.e. "Live long" which, like "Bless You", is an abbreviation of "Wish you a long life."

Source:  Sneeze - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia