Kotow — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

try to gain favor by cringing or flattering

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˈɑːɾoʊ/

🇬🇧British English

/kˈɒtəʊ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/kˈɒtəʊ/

2 syllables Say it as /kˈɑːɾoʊ/.

Examples

He is always kowtowing to his boss

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

truckle fawn suck up kowtow bootlick toady

Parts of Speech

noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
verb	try to gain favor by cringing or flattering “He is always kowtowing to his boss”

Word Forms

kowtow	verb	try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
kotow	verb	try to gain favor by cringing or flattering
fawner	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
toady	noun	a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
truckler	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
truckling	noun	the act of obeying meanly (especially obeying in a humble manner or for unworthy reasons)
bootlicker	noun	someone who humbles himself as a sign of respect; who behaves as if he had no self-respect
kowtow	noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
kotow	noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

Around the World

Europe

🇫🇷French

se prosterner

une ancienne coutume chinoise consistant à toucher le sol avec le front en signe de respect ou de soumission

🇪🇸Spanish

inclinarse

antigua costumbre china de tocar el suelo con la frente en señal de respeto o sumisión

🇷🇺Russian

низкий поклон

бывший китайский обычай касаться земли лбом в знак уважения или подчинения.

India

🇧🇩Bengali

কোটো

সম্মান বা জমা দেওয়ার চিহ্ন হিসাবে কপাল দিয়ে মাটি স্পর্শ করার একটি প্রাক্তন চীনা রীতি

🇮🇳Tamil

கோடோவ்

மரியாதை அல்லது சமர்ப்பணத்தின் அடையாளமாக நெற்றியில் தரையைத் தொடும் ஒரு முன்னாள் சீன வழக்கம்

🇮🇳Telugu

కొటోవ్

గౌరవం లేదా సమర్పణకు చిహ్నంగా నుదిటితో నేలను తాకడం పూర్వపు చైనీస్ ఆచారం

🇮🇳Marathi

कोटो

आदर किंवा सबमिशनचे चिन्ह म्हणून कपाळाने जमिनीला स्पर्श करण्याची पूर्वीची चिनी प्रथा

🇮🇳Gujarati

કોટોવ

આદર અથવા સબમિશનની નિશાની તરીકે કપાળથી જમીનને સ્પર્શ કરવાનો ભૂતપૂર્વ ચાઇનીઝ રિવાજ

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೊಟೊವ್

ಗೌರವ ಅಥವಾ ಸಲ್ಲಿಕೆಯ ಸಂಕೇತವಾಗಿ ಹಣೆಯಿಂದ ನೆಲವನ್ನು ಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿಸುವ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಚೀನೀ ಪದ್ಧತಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

കൊട്ടോവ്

ബഹുമാനത്തിൻ്റെയോ സമർപ്പണത്തിൻ്റെയോ അടയാളമായി നെറ്റിയിൽ നിലത്ത് തൊടുന്ന മുൻ ചൈനീസ് ആചാരം

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕੋਟੋ

ਸਤਿਕਾਰ ਜਾਂ ਅਧੀਨਗੀ ਦੇ ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ ਵਜੋਂ ਮੱਥੇ ਨਾਲ ਜ਼ਮੀਨ ਨੂੰ ਛੂਹਣ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਪੁਰਾਣਾ ਚੀਨੀ ਰਿਵਾਜ

🇵🇰Urdu

کوٹو

احترام یا تسلیم کی علامت کے طور پر پیشانی سے زمین کو چھونے کا ایک سابقہ چینی رواج

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

叩头

中国以前的习俗，用额头触地以表示尊重或服从

🇯🇵Japanese

コトウ

敬意または服従のしるしとして額で地面に触れるかつての中国の習慣

🇰🇷Korean

돈수

존경이나 복종의 표시로 이마를 땅에 대는 중국의 옛 풍습

🇹🇭Thai

โคโทว

ประเพณีของจีนในอดีตคือการเอาหน้าผากแตะพื้นเพื่อแสดงความเคารพหรือยอมจำนน

🇮🇩Indonesian

berlutut sampai ke tanah

sebuah kebiasaan Tiongkok kuno yang menyentuh tanah dengan dahi sebagai tanda hormat atau ketundukan

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'kotow'?

The primary meaning of 'kotow' is 'a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'kotow' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'kotow' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'kotow' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'kotow' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'kotow' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Do you find 'kotow' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'kotow' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'kotow' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'kotow' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'kotow' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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