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
3
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
1
9.9
A ritual suicide where samurai in Japan cut their stomachs with a sword
is the same ritual but spelled differently
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.