hari-kari

A form of hara-kiri — Ceremonial suicide by disembowelment, as by slicing open the abdomen with a dagger or knife: formerly practised in Japan by the samurai when disgraced or sentenced to death.

OriginJapanese 腹切り →
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Meanings

nounhari-kari (uncountable)
  1. alternativeproscribeduncountableAlternative form of hara-kiri.

Origin

  1. Japanese腹切り
  2. Englishhari-kari

Corrupted from Japanese 腹切り (harakiri), literally "belly-cutting".

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hari-kari. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hari-kari

MLA

“hari-kari.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hari-kari. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hari-kari,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hari-kari.

Source: hari-kari on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.