Meaning

Primary

Seppuku

Alternative

Ritual Suicide

Word Type

noun, verbal noun

Explanation

When you cut your abdomen you are committing seppuku aka ritual suicide. It will help if you already know the word "seppuku" from English, as it is the reading.

Reading

せっぷく
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. But it's got shortening and rendaku going on, so you have to remember those if you want to get it right. Or just know the word seppuku already since it's pretty popular. That works too.

Context

Context Sentences

切腹とか考えるだけで痛いよね。

It hurts just to think about seppuku, doesn’t it?

どうして日本の武士は切腹をするようになったのでしょうか?

How did Japanese samurai warriors come to commit seppuku?

昨日、サムライになって切腹する夢を見た。

Yesterday, I dreamed that I became a samurai and committed ritual suicide.

その年老いた武士は、切腹をすることに固執した。

The old samurai insisted on committing ritual suicide.

Kanji Composition