阿あ諛ゆ

あ

ゆ

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

formal or literary

Formal or literary term for insincere praise or excessive flattery, often with a negative connotation. Used as a noun or in する constructions.

彼かれの言こと葉ばは阿あ諛ゆに過すぎない。
His words are nothing but flattery.

部ぶ下かは上じょう司しに阿あ諛ゆするばかりで、本ほん音ねを言いわない。

The subordinates just flatter their boss and never speak their true feelings.

Written forms

阿あ諛ゆUsage11%
Standard kanji form; both characters are non-jōyō, so kana spelling is also common.
あゆUsage89%
Kana spelling is practical because the kanji are rare and not part of the jōyō set.

Kanji

阿Africa, flatter, fawn upon
諛flatter

Similar words

お世せ辞じ
お世辞 is the common, everyday word for flattery or compliments, often used in social situations. 阿諛 is a much more formal and literary term, implying insincere or excessive flattery.
追つい従しょう
追従 also means flattery or sycophancy, but is more common than 阿諛 and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. 阿諛 is rarer and more literary.

Etymology

The kanji 阿 (flatter, fawn) and 諛 (flatter, adulate) combine to form a word meaning flattery. The reading あゆ is the on'yomi of both characters. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is a Sino-Japanese compound.