seppuku

noun

sep·​pu·​ku se-ˈpü-(ˌ)kü How to pronounce seppuku (audio)
ˈse-pə-ˌkü
: hara-kiri sense 1
Mishima went back into the building, knelt on the floor and disemboweled himself with a samurai dagger in the ancient rite of seppuku.Tracy Dahlby
Seppuku remains a favorite theme in dramas and movies but has virtually disappeared from real life.Edwin O. Reischauer

Examples of seppuku in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Mariko vows to commit seppuku, the ritual of suicide. Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 12 Aug. 2024 After his impassioned speech’s inevitable failure, Mishima carried out his plan to commit seppuku at the garrison. Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 9 Aug. 2024 What was the atmosphere on set like for your seppuku scene? Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2024 One of the most challenging moments came in Episode 9, where Anna Sawai’s Mariko prepares to commit seppuku. Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024 Is the show's depiction of seppuku historically accurate? Megan McCluskey, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024 Well, the details are totally different — like, no one’s committing seppuku with swords nowadays — but the politics of it are very much relevant. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2024 Beyond the characters, there’s the show’s consideration of seppuku. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 8 Mar. 2024 During a meeting of the Council of Regents, one of Toranaga's samurai crosses a line and is forced to pledge seppuku to defuse the situation. Nick Romano, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seppuku.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of seppuku was in 1870

Dictionary Entries Near seppuku

Cite this Entry

“Seppuku.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seppuku. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

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