Translation guide
The quality of being excessively willing to serve or please others, often in a demeaning way. In Japanese, this concept is expressed through words describing obsequiousness, flattery, and subservience, with nuances ranging from formal criticism to casual slang.
Describing a person's attitude or behavior that is overly submissive and fawning, often to gain favor.
A common noun meaning flattery or sycophancy. Often used in the phrase 追従を言う (to flatter). It implies insincere praise to ingratiate oneself.
彼は上司に追従ばかり言っている。
He's always flattering his boss.
An adjective/noun meaning servile, subservient, or groveling. Describes a person's character or attitude as lacking self-respect and being overly humble.
彼の卑屈な態度が嫌いだ。
I dislike his servile attitude.
A verb meaning to fawn on, to curry favor with. Often used as 媚びへつらう (to flatter and fawn). Implies trying to win someone's favor through flattery or submissive behavior.
彼女は権力者に媚びるようなことはしない。
She doesn't try to curry favor with those in power.
A casual noun/suru-verb meaning apple-polishing or brown-nosing. Literally 'grinding sesame seeds', it refers to insincere flattery, often in workplace contexts.
あいつはいつも上司にごますりしてる。
That guy is always brown-nosing the boss.
A verb meaning to fawn upon, to flatter obsequiously. Often used in the compound 媚びへつらう. It has a strong negative connotation of groveling.
彼は金持ちにへつらってばかりいる。
He's always fawning over the rich.
Describing a state of being completely obedient or submissive, often in a hierarchical relationship.
A formal noun meaning subservience or subjugation. It implies being under the control of another, often used in historical or political contexts.
彼らは隷属的な立場に甘んじている。
They are content with their subservient position.
An adjective/noun meaning obedient, docile, or submissive. It can be positive (obedient child) or negative (servile follower) depending on context.
Describing behavior that involves using flattery to gain advantage from someone powerful.
Literally 'drum carrier', this term originally referred to a male geisha entertainer, but now means a sycophant or flatterer who follows around a superior to gain favor.
彼は社長の太鼓持ちだ。
He's the president's sycophant.
A noun meaning entourage or hangers-on. It refers to people who surround someone powerful for personal gain, often flattering them.
A humorous and derogatory slang term meaning 'goldfish poop', referring to someone who tags along with a more powerful person, like a sycophant.
彼はまるで社長の金魚の糞だ。
He's like the president's shadow, always tagging along.
追従 is a general noun for flattery, often used in formal criticism. 媚びる is a verb focusing on the act of fawning, and can be used in more personal contexts. ごますり is casual slang for brown-nosing, common in workplace banter.
追従は逆効果になることもある。
Flattery can sometimes backfire.
彼女は媚びずに自分の意見を言う。
She speaks her mind without fawning.
ごますりばかりしてると信用をなくすよ。
If you keep brown-nosing, you'll lose trust.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches 'servility' in all contexts. Using サーヴィリティ (a direct loanword) is not natural. Choose a word based on the specific nuance: flattery, submissiveness, or sycophancy.
「サーヴィリティ」という言葉は日本語では通じません。
The word 'servility' is not understood in Japanese.
彼は上司に従順すぎる。
He is too submissive to his boss.
A strong, derogatory term meaning 'slave mentality' or servile spirit. It criticizes someone for having no self-respect and willingly acting like a slave.
そんな奴隷根性は捨てろ。
Get rid of that servile mentality.
彼はいつも取り巻きを連れている。
He always has his sycophants around him.