hand clapping vs commendation

hand clapping and commendation both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hand clapping	Yes	No	No	No
commendation	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, commendation is a hypernym of hand clapping; that is, commendation is a word with a broader meaning than hand clapping:

Other hypernyms of hand clapping include approval.

hand clapping (noun)	commendation (noun)
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together	an official award (as for bravery or service) usually given as formal public statement
	a message expressing a favorable opinion