Culture & Lifestyle • Japanese culture

Seppuku

Seppuku is a traditional Japanese ritual suicide by self-disembowelment, historically associated with the samurai class.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 27, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Seppuku is a traditional Japanese ritual suicide by self-disembowelment, historically associated with the samurai class. Harakiri is a common term for the same act, though seppuku is the more formal and preferred word in Japanese. The practice was tied to concepts of honor, punishment, and duty in premodern Japan.

Meaning and terminology

Seppuku literally means “cutting the belly,” while harakiri is the same expression in a different reading and order of the characters. Japanese sources and reference works note that seppuku is the preferred formal term.

Historical use

The practice was historically tied to the samurai warrior class and to ideas of honour, loyalty, and social responsibility. It was also used in some cases as a judicial or disciplinary death.

Ritual context

Seppuku was not simply a method of suicide but a highly structured ritual within premodern Japanese culture. In some accounts, it involved assistance from another person to bring about a quicker death.

Modern understanding

Today, seppuku is mainly discussed as a historical practice and cultural concept. The term often appears in English-language writing about Japanese history, samurai culture, and ritualized death.

Key facts

Seppuku is a Japanese ritual suicide carried out by abdominal cutting.
Harakiri and seppuku refer to the same act, but seppuku is the more formal term.
The practice was historically associated with samurai and ideas of honour and duty.
It could be performed voluntarily or as a form of punishment in feudal Japan.
The term harakiri is widely recognized outside Japan, but is less commonly used in Japanese than seppuku.

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Canadian context

Canadian readers most often encounter seppuku in studies of Japanese history, samurai culture, literature, film, and translation. It is also relevant to discussions of how Japanese cultural terms are rendered in English.

Frequently asked questions

What is seppuku?

Seppuku is a traditional Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment, historically associated with samurai honour codes.

Is harakiri the same as seppuku?

Yes. They refer to the same act, but seppuku is the more formal Japanese term.

Why did samurai perform seppuku?

It could be done to preserve honour, avoid capture, accept responsibility, or as a form of punishment.

Is harakiri commonly used in Japanese?

Reference sources say Japanese speakers generally prefer seppuku, while harakiri is more common in foreign usage.

Was seppuku only for samurai?

It was historically associated with samurai, though some sources note it was also practiced by other Japanese people in later periods.

References

Britannica Kids — https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/seppuku-or-hara-kiri/325717
Supports: Definition of seppuku, association with samurai, and note that hara-kiri is rarely used in Japanese.
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku
Supports: Japanese terms, literal meanings, historical association with samurai, and broader historical context.
PubMed Central — https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4369548/
Supports: Description of seppuku and hara-kiri as ritualized self-disembowelment.
EBSCO Research Starters — https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/seppuku
Supports: Historical framing of seppuku as a samurai-associated ritual and its relation to honour and punishment.
Mai-Ko — https://mai-ko.com/travel/japanese-history/samurai/harakiri-and-suppuku/
Supports: Terminology explanation and distinction between the formal use of seppuku and common use of harakiri.