How to pronounce "harakiri" in English
ha·ra·ki·ri
Hear native speakers say harakiri in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “harakiri”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ha
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ra
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ki
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ri
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Keep the vowel length balanced, placing subtle emphasis on the root morpheme according to standard conversational rhythm.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "harakiri" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“overlooking the sea sushi Jima performs the samurai ritual of harakiri plunging”— Smithsonian ChannelWatch clip
“weight all this happened in those 14 days what is this this is this is harakiri this is worse than suicide is what I”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“As part of Bushido, samurai who had lost their master were also expected to commit Harakiri.”— Simple HistoryWatch clip
“Sternhagen was born in düsseldorf and began his career in the late 1960s as a member of the band harakiri wound but his real breakthrough”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“For a samurai who was facing defeat or dishonor, Seppuku or Harakiri was performed.”— Simple HistoryWatch clip
“their Master were also expected to commit harakiri those who did not became Ronin or Drifters often there was stigma attached to being”— Simple HistoryWatch clip
Practice Speaking “harakiri”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
overlooking the sea sushi Jima performs the samurai ritual of harakiri plunging
Hear it in context: “harakiri”
7 clipsThe English word “harakiri”. Phonologically, it consists of 4 syllables (ha · ra · ki · ri). Grammatically, “harakiri” functions as a noun. SayItVid indexes 7 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “harakiri” in natural connected speech across American (US: 7 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Smithsonian Channel, TEDx Talks, Simple History.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USSmithsonian ChannelClip #1 · @2:37
“Emperor with my own death on a Ledge overlooking the sea sushi Jima performs the samurai ritual of harakiri plunging the samurai ritual of harakiri plunging”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #2 · @2:53
“down my my face looked like a cooked bringel and my my body lost 41 kilos of weight all this happened in those 14 days what is this this is this is harakiri this is worse than suicide is what I what is this this is this is harakiri this is worse than suicide is what I”
- 🇺🇸 USSimple HistoryClip #3 · @1:01
“This involved the warrior committing suicide by cutting his belly with a dagger. As part of Bushido, samurai who had lost their master were also expected to commit Harakiri. samurai who had lost their master were also expected to commit Harakiri.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @1:43
“wrote new arrangements that proves what a great musician he is Mario Smirnova Sternhagen was born in düsseldorf and began his career in the late 1960s as a member of the band harakiri wound but his real breakthrough member of the band harakiri wound but his real breakthrough”
- 🇺🇸 USSimple HistoryClip #5 · @0:51
“In battle, the warrior would decapitate his defeated enemy and mount the head on a spike. For a samurai who was facing defeat or dishonor, Seppuku or Harakiri was performed. Seppuku or Harakiri was performed.”
Definition & Meaning: “harakiri”
- Alternative spelling of hara-kiri.
Example Sentences (2)
- “overlooking the sea sushi Jima performs the samurai ritual of harakiri plunging”
- “weight all this happened in those 14 days what is this this is this is harakiri this is worse than suicide is what I”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “harakiri”
- Syllables:
- ha · ra · ki · ri
- Hear it in context
- harakiri
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"harakiri" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "harakiri" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about harakiri
How many syllables are in “harakiri”?
“harakiri” has 4 syllables: ha · ra · ki · ri.
What does “harakiri” mean?
Alternative spelling of hara-kiri.
How can I hear “harakiri” used in real sentences?
This page has 7 real-world video examples of “harakiri” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “harakiri”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).