kowtow

English

WOTD – 23 November 2006

Alternative forms

• kotow

Etymology

From Sinitic 叩頭 (Cantonese kau3 tau4, Mandarin kòutóu), literally "knock head".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊ

Verb

kowtow ‎(third-person singular simple present kowtows, present participle kowtowing, simple past and past participle kowtowed)

1. (intransitive) To kneel and bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground.
2. (intransitive) To bow very deeply.
3. (intransitive, figuratively) To act in a very submissive manner.

Translations

kneel such that forehead touches ground

• Arabic: سَجَدَ (ar) ‎(sajada), تَمَلَّقَ ‎(tamallaqa), رَكَعَ ‎(rakaʿa)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 叩頭, 叩头 ‎(kau³ tau⁴)

  Mandarin: 叩頭 (zh), 叩头 (zh) ‎(kòutóu), 磕頭 (zh), 磕头 (zh) ‎(kētóu)

  Min Nan: 磕頭 ‎(kha̍p-thâu), 叩頭 (zh-min-nan) ‎(khàu-thâu)

• Dutch: knielen (nl), zich (nl) buigen (nl)
• Finnish: tehdä (fi) kowtow
• French: se prosterner (fr), s'agenouiller (fr)
• German: knien (de)

• Japanese: 叩頭く ‎(ぬかつく, nukatsuku), 土下座をする (ja) ‎(どげざをする, dogeza o suru)
• Korean: 머리를 조아리다 ‎(meorireul joarida), 고두하다 ‎(goduhada)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: knele (no), gjøre knefall

• Portuguese: fazer o kowtow
• Russian: де́лать коуто́у ‎(délatʹ koutóu)
• Spanish: postrarse (es), prosternarse (es)
• Vietnamese: khấu đầu (vi) (叩頭), quỳ lạy, khúm núm (vi), quỵ luỵ (vi)

bow deeply

• Dutch: zich (nl) (diep (nl)) buigen (nl)

• Finnish: kumartaa (fi) syvään
• Portuguese: prostrar-se
• Russian: де́лать ни́зкий покло́н ‎(délatʹ nízkij poklón)

act submissively

• Dutch: zich (nl) aanpassen (nl), onderdanig (nl) zijn (nl)
• Finnish: nöyristellä (fi), kumarrella (fi)

• German: den Kotau (de) machen, zu Kreuze kriechen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: underkaste seg, gi etter, føye seg (no), krype til korset

• Russian: преклоня́ться (ru) ‎(preklonjátʹsja), пресмыка́ться (ru) ‎(presmykátʹsja), раболе́пствовать (ru) ‎(rabolépstvovatʹ)

Noun

kowtow ‎(plural kowtows)

1. The act of kowtowing.

Translations

kowtowing

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 叩頭, 叩头 ‎(kau³ tau⁴)

  Mandarin: 叩頭 (zh), 叩头 (zh) ‎(kòutóu), 磕頭 (zh), 磕头 (zh) ‎(kētóu)

• Dutch: buiging (nl) f, kotau m
• Finnish: kowtow-kumarrus (fi)
• French: kowtow m
• German: Kotau (de) m

• Japanese: 叩頭 ‎(こうとう, kōtō), (Japanese way) 土下座 (ja) ‎(どげざ, dogeza)
• Korean: 고두 ‎(godu) (叩頭)
• Norwegian: kowtow
• Portuguese: kowtow m
• Russian: (indeclinable) коуто́у n ‎(koutóu), покло́н (ru) m ‎(poklón)
• Swedish: koutou
• Vietnamese: khấu đầu (vi) (叩頭), sự quỳ lạy, sự khúm núm (vi)

See also

• prostrate

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Portuguese

Noun

kowtow m (plural kowtows)

1. kowtow (bow low enough to touch one’s forehead to the ground)