kowtow

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• /ˈkaʊˌtaʊ/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -aʊ
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• CMU ARPABET: K AW1 T AW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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• CMU ARPABET 2: K OW1 T OW1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From either Cantonese 叩頭 /叩头 (kau3 tau4) or Mandarin 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu). Literally, “knock head”.

126 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Chinese Cantonese: 叩頭 /叩头 (kau3 tau4) — kowtowing
• Chinese Mandarin: 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu) — kowtowing
• Chinese Mandarin: 磕頭 /磕头 (kētóu) — kowtowing
• Danish: kowtow — kowtowing
• Danish: koutou — kowtowing
• Dutch: buiging — kowtowing
• Dutch: kotau — kowtowing
• Finnish: kowtow-kumarrus — kowtowing
• French: kowtow — kowtowing
• German: Kotau — kowtowing
• Japanese: 叩頭 (kōtō) — kowtowing
• Japanese: 土下座 (dogeza) — kowtowing
• Korean: 고두 (godu) — kowtowing
• Norwegian: kowtow — kowtowing
• Portuguese: kowtow — kowtowing
• Russian: коуто́у (koutóu) — kowtowing
• Russian: покло́н (poklón) — kowtowing
• Spanish: postración — kowtowing
• Swedish: koutou — kowtowing
• Ukrainian: чолобитна (čolobytna) — kowtowing
• Ukrainian: чолобиття (čolobyttja) — kowtowing
• Ukrainian: уклін (uklin) — kowtowing
• Ukrainian: коутоу (koutou) — kowtowing
• Vietnamese: khấu đầu — kowtowing
• Vietnamese: sự quỳ lạy — kowtowing
• Vietnamese: sự khúm núm — kowtowing
• Welsh: cow-tow — kowtowing
• Welsh: moesymgrymiad — kowtowing
• Welsh: ymgreiniad — kowtowing
• Arabic: سَجَدَ (sajada) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Arabic: تَمَلَّقَ (tamallaqa) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Arabic: رَكَعَ (rakaʕa) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Catalan: prosternar-se — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Chinese Cantonese: 叩頭 /叩头 (kau3 tau4) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Chinese: 磕頭 /磕头 (kha̍p-thâu) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Chinese: 叩頭 /叩头 (zh-min-nan) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Chinese Mandarin: 叩頭 /叩头 (kòutóu) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Chinese Mandarin: 磕頭 /磕头 (kētóu) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Czech: klanět se až k zemi — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Danish: knæle — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Danish: prostrere — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Dutch: knielen — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Dutch: zich buigen — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Finnish: tehdä kowtow — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• French: se prosterner — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• French: s'agenouiller — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Georgian: ქედმოხრა (kedmoxra) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• German: einen Kotau machen — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Hungarian: földre borul — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Hungarian: leborul — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Hungarian: hétrét görnyed — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Japanese: 叩頭く (nukatsuku) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Japanese: 土下座をする (dogeza o suru) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Korean: 머리를 조아리다 (meori-reul joarida) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Korean: 고두(叩頭)하다 (goduhada) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Norwegian Bokmål: knele — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Norwegian Bokmål: gjøre knefall — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Portuguese: fazer o kowtow — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Portuguese: reverenciar — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Russian: де́лать коуто́у (délatʹ koutóu) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Serbo-Croatian: klanjati se do zemlje — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Serbo-Croatian: prostrirati — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Serbo-Croatian: metanisati — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Spanish: postrarse — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Spanish: prostrarse (disused) — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Vietnamese: lạy — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Vietnamese: khấu đầu — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Vietnamese: quỳ lạy — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Vietnamese: khúm núm — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Vietnamese: quỵ luỵ — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Welsh: cowtowio — kneel such that forehead touches ground
• Catalan: prostrar-se — bow deeply
• Dutch: zich buigen (diep) — bow deeply
• Finnish: kumartaa syvään — bow deeply
• Georgian: ქედმოხრა (kedmoxra) — bow deeply
• Hungarian: meghajol — bow deeply
• Portuguese: prostrar-se — bow deeply
• Russian: де́лать ни́зкий покло́н (délatʹ nízkij poklón) — bow deeply
• Serbo-Croatian: metanisati — bow deeply
• Serbo-Croatian: klanjati se do zemlje — bow deeply
• Ukrainian: бити чолом (byty čolom) — bow deeply
• Ukrainian: вклонятися (vklonjatysja) — bow deeply
• Welsh: moesymgrymu — bow deeply
• Catalan: sotmetre's — act submissively
• Czech: poklonkovat — act submissively
• Danish: underkaste sig — act submissively
• Danish: give efter — act submissively
• Danish: føje — act submissively
• Danish: krybe til korset — act submissively
• Dutch: zich aanpassen — act submissively
• Dutch: onderdanig zijn — act submissively
• Esperanto: kliniĝi — act submissively
• Finnish: nöyristellä — act submissively
• Finnish: kumarrella — act submissively
• Georgian: ქედმოხრა (kedmoxra) — act submissively
• German: kriechen — act submissively
• German: kuschen — act submissively
• German: katzbuckeln — act submissively
• German: dienern — act submissively
• German: zu Kreuze kriechen — act submissively
• German: den Kotau machen — act submissively
• Hebrew: התרפס (hitrapés) — act submissively
• Hebrew: התחנף (hitkhanéf) — act submissively
• Hebrew: השתעבד (hishtaabéd) — act submissively
• Hungarian: hajbókol — act submissively
• Hungarian: megalázkodik — act submissively
• Hungarian: csúszik-mászik — act submissively
• Hungarian: alázatoskodik — act submissively
• Norwegian Bokmål: underkaste seg — act submissively
• Norwegian Bokmål: gi etter — act submissively
• Norwegian Bokmål: føye seg — act submissively
• Norwegian Bokmål: krype til korset — act submissively
• Polish: kłaniać się — act submissively
• Romanian: ploconi — act submissively
• Romanian: căciuli — act submissively
• Russian: преклоня́ться (preklonjátʹsja) — act submissively
• Russian: пресмыка́ться (presmykátʹsja) — act submissively
• Russian: раболе́пствовать (rabolépstvovatʹ) — act submissively
• Serbo-Croatian: klanjati se do zemlje — act submissively
• Serbo-Croatian: metanisati — act submissively
• Vietnamese: khúm núm — act submissively
• Vietnamese: quỳ lạy — act submissively
• Vietnamese: quỵ luỵ — act submissively
• Welsh: cynffonna — act submissively
• Welsh: ymgreinio — act submissively
• Zazaki: tabi biyen (diq) — act submissively