媚こびへつらう

こ

び

へ

つ

ら

う

Meanings

1

godan verb (-u), intransitive verb

flatter; fawn on; toady to

Describes sycophantic behavior, often with a negative connotation of insincerity or excessive eagerness to please someone in power.

彼かれは上じょう司しに媚こびへつらってばかりいる。
He's always fawning on his boss.
媚こびへつらう態たい度どはかえって信しん用ようを失うしなう

。

A sycophantic attitude will actually lose you trust.

Written forms

媚こびへつらうUsage43%
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling.
こびへつらうUsage50%
Kana spelling used when avoiding complex kanji.
媚こび諂へつらうUsage7%
Full kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.

Kanji

媚flatter, humor, flirt
諂flatter

Similar words

お世せ辞じを言いう
お世辞を言う means to give a compliment or flattery, often lighter and more socially acceptable than 媚びへつらう, which implies groveling or excessive flattery.
ご機き嫌げんを取とる
ご機嫌を取る focuses on trying to put someone in a good mood, while 媚びへつらう emphasizes subservient flattery.

Etymology

Compound of 媚び (kobi, 'flattery', from verb 媚びる) and へつらう (hetsurau, 'to flatter'). The exact origin of へつらう is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese verb.