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おもねる Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
flatter ; fawn over ; curry favor with
usually written using kana alone
Describes ingratiating oneself with someone, often with a negative connotation of insincere or excessive flattery. Commonly used with に to mark the target.
権けん 力りょく 者しゃ に おもねる よう な 態たい 度ど は とり たく ない 。
I don't want to take an attitude of currying favor with those in power.
Written forms おもねる Usage 90%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 阿る is rare and may not be widely recognized.
阿おもね る Usage 10%
Rare kanji form; the character 阿 carries a sense of flattery or obsequiousness but is uncommon in modern use.
Kanji 阿 Africa, flatter, fawn upon Similar words へつらう Similar meaning of flattering or fawning, but へつらう often implies more overt, servile flattery, while おもねる can be slightly more about ingratiating oneself subtly.
ご 機き 嫌げん を 取と る Means 'to curry favor' or 'to butter up', often in a more casual or social context, whereas おもねる is more formal and can imply a calculated effort to gain favor.
Etymology Derived from the classical Japanese verb おもねる, with the same meaning. The kanji 阿 is an ateji (phonetic equivalent) that also carries the meaning of 'flatter' or 'pander to', but the word is native Japanese in origin.