Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

seppuku

/ˈsɛ.pu(ˌ)ku/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: sep-pu-ku
IPA: /ˈsɛ.pu(ˌ)ku/

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A form of ritual suicide by disembowelment using a blade, practiced by Japanese samurai, especially to rid oneself of shame, as a means of protest, or, formerly, as a method of capital punishment.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"I heard that if you hit a vape and then commit seppuku by slashing out your lungs, it'll look like there's a ghost leaving your body."
"“I feel like the only solution is pretty clear,” he said during one online news program in late 2021. “In the end, isn’t it mass suicide and mass ‘seppuku’ of the elderly?” […] At a panel hosted by Globis, a Japanese graduate business school, Dr. Narita told the audience that “if this can become a Japanese society where people like you all commit seppuku one after another, it wouldn’t be just a social security policy but it would be the best ‘Cool Japan’ policy.”"

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 切腹 (seppuku), from Middle Chinese 切 (t͡set, “to cut”) + 腹 (pjuwk, “belly”). Compare Cantonese 切腹 (cit³ fuk¹) and Mandarin 切腹 (qiēfù).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: 切
Suffix: 腹

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈsɛ.pu(ˌ)ku/
British English: /sɛˈpuː.kuː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

seppukus (plural)

Phrases

hara-kiri

Frequently Paired Words

bushido hara-kiri kamikaze suicide

Synonyms

hara-kiri harakiri harikari

Questions

How do you pronounce seppuku?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɛ.pu(ˌ)ku/.
What does seppuku mean?: A form of ritual suicide by disembowelment using a blade, practiced by Japanese samurai, especially to rid oneself of shame, as a means of protest, or, formerly, as a method of capital punishment.
Where does seppuku come from?: Borrowed from Japanese 切腹 (seppuku), from Middle Chinese 切 (t͡set, “to cut”) + 腹 (pjuwk, “belly”). Compare Cantonese 切腹 (cit³ fuk¹) and Mandarin 切腹 (qiēfù).

How to pronounce seppuku

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “seppuku”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈsɛ.pu(ˌ)ku/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “seppuku”.
Repeat and practice — Say “seppuku” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.