Kowtow — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

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

bend the knees and bow in a servile manner

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kˈaʊtaʊ/

🇬🇧British English

/kˈaʊtaʊ/

🇮🇳Indian English

/kˈaʊtaʊ/

2 syllables Say it as /kˈaʊtaʊ/.

Examples

He is always kowtowing to his boss

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

truckle fawn scrape suck up bootlick toady kotow genuflect

Parts of Speech

noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
verb	bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
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
scrape	noun	a deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility)
scraping	noun	a deep bow with the foot drawn backwards (indicating excessive humility)
kowtow	noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission
genuflection	noun	the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence
genuflexion	noun	the act of bending the knees in worship or reverence
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
kotow	noun	a former Chinese custom of touching the ground with the forehead as a sign of respect or submission

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Kotau

ein früherer chinesischer Brauch, bei dem man als Zeichen des Respekts oder der Unterwerfung den Boden mit der Stirn berührt

🇫🇷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

🇮🇹Italian

inchinarsi

un'antica usanza cinese di toccare il suolo con la fronte in segno di rispetto o sottomissione

🇵🇹Portuguese

prostrar-se

um antigo costume chinês de tocar o chão com a testa em sinal de respeito ou submissão

🇷🇺Russian

низкий поклон

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

India

🇮🇳Hindi

प्रणाम

सम्मान या समर्पण के संकेत के रूप में माथे से जमीन को छूने की एक पूर्व चीनी परंपरा

🇮🇳Tamil

கவ்டோவ்

மரியாதை அல்லது சமர்ப்பணத்தின் அடையாளமாக நெற்றியில் தரையைத் தொடும் ஒரு முன்னாள் சீன வழக்கம்

🇮🇳Telugu

కౌటౌ

గౌరవం లేదా సమర్పణకు చిహ్నంగా నుదిటితో నేలను తాకడం పూర్వపు చైనీస్ ఆచారం

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೌಟೋವ್

ಗೌರವ ಅಥವಾ ಸಲ್ಲಿಕೆಯ ಸಂಕೇತವಾಗಿ ಹಣೆಯಿಂದ ನೆಲವನ್ನು ಸ್ಪರ್ಶಿಸುವ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಚೀನೀ ಪದ್ಧತಿ

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

磕头

中国以前的习俗，用额头触地以表示尊重或服从

🇯🇵Japanese

叩きのめす

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

🇻🇳Vietnamese

lạy lạy

một phong tục cổ xưa của người Trung Quốc là chạm trán xuống đất như một dấu hiệu của sự tôn trọng hoặc phục tùng

🇹🇭Thai

คำนับ

ประเพณีของจีนในอดีตคือการเอาหน้าผากแตะพื้นเพื่อแสดงความเคารพหรือยอมจำนน

🇮🇩Indonesian

menjilat

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

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

تملق

عادة صينية سابقة تتمثل في لمس الأرض بالجبهة كعلامة على الاحترام أو الخضوع

🇮🇷Persian

کتک زدن

یک رسم سابق چینی برای لمس زمین با پیشانی به نشانه احترام یا تسلیم

🇹🇷Turkish

secde

saygı veya teslimiyet işareti olarak alınla yere dokunma şeklindeki eski bir Çin geleneği

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִתְרַפֵּס

מנהג סיני לשעבר לגעת באדמה במצח כאות לכבוד או כניעה

Test Yourself1 / 3

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

The primary meaning of 'kowtow' 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 'kowtow' in a grammatically correct way?

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

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

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

Community Poll1 / 6

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

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Do you find 'kowtow' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

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

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

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

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

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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