Japanese word

世辞

Pronunciation

Romajiseji

Meaning

  • nounflattery

Example

彼は上司に世辞を言いました。kare wa jō shi ni se ji o i i ma shi ta

He flattered his boss.

Illustration for 世辞 (flattery)

More examples

彼は取引先の社長に世辞を言って、契約を取りました。kare wa torihiki saki no sha chō ni se ji o i tte kei yaku o to ri ma shi ta

He flattered the president of the client company and won the contract.

Core concept

Describes praise shaped to please someone and win favor, rather than simply to express an honest opinion.

Common phrases

  • 世辞を言うse ji o yū

    flatter someone

  • 上司に世辞を言うjō shi ni se ji o yū

    flatter one's boss

  • 世辞がうまいse ji ga u ma i

    be good at flattery

Similar words

おべっかobekka: Insincere praise offered to win someone's favor.
へつらいhetsurai: Submissive words or behavior used to gain favor from someone superior.
追従tsuijū: Words or actions that express excessive agreement with someone in power to gain favor.

Definition in Japanese

相手に気に入られるために、実際以上にほめることば。ai te ni ki ni hai ra re ru ta me ni jis sai i jō ni ho me ru ko to ba

Word origin

世辞 (seji) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 世 (se, "society") and 辞 (ji, "words"), referring to words used to please someone in a social relationship.

Usage tips

  • In English, flattery often suggests praise offered to gain favor, while a compliment can be sincere, so 世辞 (seji) is closer to the former.

Other meanings

  • complimentnoun

Word lists with this word