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Glite Dictionary
seppuku

seppuku

3 9.9
A ceremony where samurai kill themselves by cutting their stomachs with a sword in Japan
  • noun
  • /sɛpˈpuːku/
  • NSFW
translation icon : seppuku
  • I like the honorable method of seppuku.
  • commit seppuku

Examples

  • He reached The Choshu Embassy and asked for help, but was refused, and committed seppuku.

    The Ritual (2000)

  • The Japanese had their tradition of seppuku for an honorable death.

    Blog text (7)

  • She's making preparations for seppuku.

    Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)

  • Because of your rank and the service you have done Ako, I will allow you to regain your honour and the honour of your house through seppuku, death by your own hand, so that you may show courage and dignity in death as you once showed in life.

    47 Ronin (2013)

  • The samurai chose to commit seppuku to restore his honor after failing in battle.

  • In traditional Japanese culture, seppuku was seen as a noble way to die.

  • During the Edo period, many samurai practiced seppuku as a form of ritual suicide.

Synonyms

harakiri
vsseppuku
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A ritual suicide where samurai in Japan cut their stomachs with a sword

emphasizes historical practice in traditional Japanese society rather than just naming the act
hara-kiri
vsseppuku
  • NSFW
1 9.9

Ritual suicide by cutting the stomach with a sword, traditionally done by samurai in Japan to protect honor

is a general historical ritual without the specific honor restoring motive
harikari
vsseppuku
  • NSFW
9.9

A traditional samurai suicide by cutting the stomach with a sword in old Japan

frames it as a historical ritual in traditional Japanese society rather than an example

Surface Forms

seppuku singular
seppukus plural

Etymology

Seppuku comes from two Japanese parts meaning 'cut' and 'belly' — setsu ('cut') and fuku ('belly'). It was the name of a ritual in which samurai cut their own belly to die with honor, so seppuku today means a type of ritual suicide in old Japan.