hari-kari
Definition
- Noun (also spelled ):
- A form of ritual suicide: "hari-kari" refers to the traditional Japanese practice of disemboweling oneself as a means of honorable death, often performed by samurai to avoid capture or disgrace. The word literally means "belly cutting" in Japanese.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The samurai chose hari-kari over surrender to maintain his honor. (Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment.)
- In feudal Japan, hari-kari was considered a dignified end for a warrior. (A culturally accepted form of suicide.)
Advanced Usage
"to commit hari-kari": to perform the ritual act.
- He was ordered to commit hari-kari for his failure in battle. (He was compelled to perform the ritual suicide as punishment.)
Figurative use: "hari-kari" can be used metaphorically to describe any self-destructive action or career-ending move.
- The politician's scandal was political hari-kari. (The scandal destroyed his career.)
Variants and Related Words
- Harakiri (n): the more common romanization of the same word.
- Harakiri was outlawed in Japan in the late 19th century. (The practice was banned by law.)
Synonyms
- Ritual suicide: a culturally prescribed form of suicide.
- Seppuku: the more formal term for the same practice, often distinguished from by a more elaborate procedure involving a second (kaishakunin) to decapitate the person after the abdominal cut.
- Seppuku was a more formalized version of hari-kari. (A specific type of ritual suicide.)
Related Idioms
- To fall on one's sword: a Western idiom meaning to take responsibility for a failure by resigning or sacrificing oneself.
- The CEO fell on his sword after the company's collapse. (He resigned to accept blame.)