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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Flattery can sometimes backfire.
She speaks her mind without fawning.
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.
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.
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.