harikari
9.9
A traditional samurai suicide by cutting the stomach with a sword in old Japan
- noun
- /ˌhɑːrɪˈkɪri/
- NSFW
:
harakiri
- In feudal Japan, samurai would sometimes commit harikari to restore their honor after defeat.
Examples
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The ritual of harikari demonstrated the samurai's commitment to loyalty and honor.
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He was given the choice of facing disgrace or choosing harikari to preserve his dignity.
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The ancient Greeks used hemlock, the Japs used harikari and America, they just jump off of bridges.
Synonyms
3
9.9
A ceremony where samurai kill themselves by cutting their stomachs with a sword in Japan
is the general description rather than the formal term
1
9.9
A ritual suicide where samurai in Japan cut their stomachs with a sword
is the same ritual but spelled differently
1
9.9
Ritual suicide by cutting the stomach with a sword, traditionally done by samurai in Japan to protect honor
is the same act but without naming honor as the motive
Surface Forms
Etymology
Harikari comes from Japanese hara 'belly' and kiri 'cut'. It was the name for a samurai ritual of suicide by cutting the belly, so the word today refers to that specific form of ritual self-killing.