Harikari

/ˌhæɹɪˈkɑːri/ noun

Definition

A misspelling or alternate romanization of seppuku (Japanese ritual suicide), sometimes written in English texts before standardized transliteration became common.

Etymology

This is a non-standard romanization of the Japanese hara-kiri (腹切り), where 'hara' means belly and 'kiri' means cutting. The variant spelling reflects early English attempts to represent Japanese sounds.

Kelly Says

Before modern Japanese language standardization, English writers would write Japanese words however they sounded to them—which is why you'll find 'harikari,' 'hara-kiri,' and 'seppuku' all supposedly meaning the same thing, but linguists prefer seppuku as the proper formal term.

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