Definition

1. Noun:
   • Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by samurai in traditional Japanese society: "Harakiri" refers to the formal, ceremonial act of taking one's own life by cutting open the abdomen with a short sword, historically performed by samurai to avoid dishonor, as a form of capital punishment, or to follow a lord in death.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The defeated samurai chose harakiri over capture.
  • The practice of harakiri was a central part of the samurai code of honor, known as bushido.

Advanced Usage

• "To commit harakiri": This is the standard verb phrase used to describe performing the act.
  • The disgraced lord was ordered to commit harakiri.
• The term is often used metaphorically in modern contexts to describe an act of severe self-sabotage or a disastrous decision that ruins one's own position.
  • Politically, that policy would be committing harakiri for the party.

Variants and Related Words

• Seppuku (n): This is the more formal, Japanese term for the same ritual. "Harakiri" is derived from Japanese words meaning "belly-cutting," while "seppuku" uses the Sino-Japanese reading of the same characters and is considered the more polite term.
  • While foreigners often say "harakiri," scholars typically use the term "seppuku."
• Kaishakunin (n): The secondary, or "assistant," whose role was to decapitate the person performing harakiri after the initial cut, to minimize suffering.

Synonyms

• Ritual suicide: The general category of acts.
• Self-disembowelment: A literal description of the physical act.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• "Professional harakiri": A modern, figurative phrase describing a career-ending mistake made by a public figure.
  • The CEO's offensive comments amounted to professional harakiri.
• "Economic harakiri": Used to describe a national policy perceived as devastating to a country's own economy.
  • Some analysts called the proposed tariffs an act of economic harakiri.

Noun

1. ritual suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword; practiced by samurai in the traditional Japanese society