Japanese word

お世辞

Pronunciation

Romajioseji

Meaning

  • nounflattery

Example

彼は人にお世辞を言います。kare wa hito ni o se ji o i i ma su

He flatters people.

Illustration for お世辞 (flattery)

More examples

店員は客にお世辞を言って、高い商品を勧めました。ten in wa kyaku ni o se ji o i tte taka i shō hin o susu me ma shi ta

The clerk flattered the customer and recommended an expensive product.

Core concept

The word describes praise offered to please someone, especially when it is more generous than the speaker's true opinion.

Common phrases

  • お世辞を言うo se ji o yū

    flatter someone

  • お世辞にも上手とは言えないo se ji ni mo jō zu to wa i e na i

    cannot even call it good

  • お世辞抜きでo se ji nu ki de

    without flattery

Similar words

おべっかobekka: Casual praise used to win someone's favor, often without sincere feeling.
へつらいhetsurai: Praise or agreeable behavior used to gain favor, with a strong sense of servility.
追従tsuijū: Praise or agreement offered to please a person and gain an advantage.

Definition in Japanese

他人に気に入られるために、実際以上に相手をほめること。ta nin ni ki ni hai ra re ru ta me ni jis sai i jō ni ai te o ho me ru ko to

Word origin

お世辞 (oseji) consists of the honorific prefix お (o, "honorific") and 世辞 (seji), a compound of 世 (se, "society") and 辞 (ji, "words") referring to words used to please people.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, お世辞 (oseji) can describe praise used to keep social relations smooth, so it does not always imply a deliberate lie.

Other meanings

  • complimentnoun

Word lists with this word