# 自決



## Paulfromitaly

Hello there,
I know it's a weird question, but I can't think of any another places where I could ask about it:

What does this ideogram mean?
It's used in a Takeshi Kitano's movie and the meaning should be related to death.
Thanks.


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## Flaminius

Hello Pauloditalia,

There are actually two ideograms; 自決, which means suicide.  This is read _jiketsu_ and belongs to a militaristic register that includes _samurai_s, _yakuza_s, the Imperial Army and so on.


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## cheshire

自決→*自*分で*決*する→*自*分自身で自分の命運を*決*する（自分自身で自分の運命を決める）


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## Flaminius

Sure, cheshire.  Yet, I remember the day when my history class burst out in laughter at the comical implication of Wilsonian idea of populations having the right to self-determination (民族自決).


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## cheshire

Often we are not aware until we are so told that 自決 has two meanings (double-entendre!).


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## Paulfromitaly

Flaminius said:


> Hello Pauloditalia,
> 
> There are actually two ideograms; 自決, which means suicide.  This is read _jiketsu_ and belongs to a militaristic register that includes _samurai_s, _yakuza_s, the Imperial Army and so on.




Thank you! so you confirm that it means suicide? does an ideogram like that have a very precise meaning just like a word in Italian or English or does it have a wider range of meanings?


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## Flaminius

Paulfromitaly said:


> Thank you! So you confirm that it means suicide?


Yes, I do.



> Does an ideogram like that have a very precise meaning just like a word in Italian or English or does it have a wider range of meanings?


A Chinese character (I lazily call it kanji in JP ) is basically a morpheme, or the minimal unit that carries meaning and breaking of which into smaller elements deprives meaning from the elements.  A Chinese character may or may not have to combine with other character(s) in order to form a word.  A word is the minimal unit that can appear in a sentence.

For example, Italian _am-_ may be analysed as a morpheme that carries the meaning of "love."  It, however, has to combine with other morphemes such as _-or_, _-o_ or _-are_ in order to form a word and apear in a sentence.

Kanji morphology is particular in that one kanji can represent more than one morpheme.  For example, 血 is read either _chi_ or _ketsu_,  both of which mean "blood" but the former is Japanese indigenous and the latter is of Chinese origin.  When one reports bleeding, one would say, "血が出ている" (chi-ga deteiru: literally "Blood is coming out").  Here, reading the kanji _ketsu_ is impossible since this morpheme cannot stand alone in a sentence (and it belongs to a higher register than to be used in this context).

In order for _ketsu_ reading/morpheme to appear in the sentence, it should first combine with another morpheme to form a word.  I would use 液 (eki; liquid) to form the word 血液 (ketsueki; literally blood liquid but simply is "blood" in formal registers).  Now the ketsu reading can appear in a sentence; "血液が凝固した" (ketsueki-ga gyōko-shita: Blood has coagulated).


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## Hiro Sasaki

Paulfromitaly said:


> Hello there,
> I know it's a weird question, but I can't think of any another places where I could ask about it:
> 
> What does this ideogram mean?
> It's used in a Takeshi Kitano's movie and the meaning should be related to death.
> Thanks.


 
It's a quite simple question and my answwer is simple also.

It was a suicide of a soldier before being killed by his enemies. 

The samurai did  not use the word 自決　but used the word 自害。

Hiro Sasaki


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## Flaminius

Hiro Sasaki said:


> It was a suicide of a soldier before being killed by his enemies.


I checked several word combinations on Google and found out that 自決 is used, in addition to your suggestion, in reference to _yakusa_s killing themselves to avoid arrest, political suicides by right-wingers, soldiers attempting to kill themselves after being captured and samurais taking responsibility of unauthorised political assassinations and so on.  I take it as a word casting a light of bravery to suicide.


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## Hiro Sasaki

Flaminius said:


> I checked several word combinations on Google and found out that 自決 is used, in addition to your suggestion, in reference to _yakusa_s killing themselves to avoid arrest, political suicides by right-wingers, soldiers attempting to kill themselves after being captured and samurais taking responsibility of unauthorised political assassinations and so on. I take it as a word casting a light of bravery to suicide.



This is not a matter of Google entries. Modern people are less familiar 
with the word 自害　and therefore write " He（　a samurai )  committed 自決”　and not " he committed 自決”。　In a period play, and in works of 
Saikaku, a samurai do not use the word of modern concept 自決。

Hiro Sasaki

In case of mass suicide, and not an individul 切腹、　the word 自決
does not sound odd in modern Japanese. Juvenile samurai of Byakko tai committed 自決。

Hiro Sasaki


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## Flaminius

Hiro Sasaki said:


> This is not a matter of Google entries.


I agree.  It is about use.  We are exploring how the word is actually used and what are the nuances that set the word apart from synonyms.  Google can provide useful information in this respect.

I do not deny that 自害 is the most common word for suicide in samurai entertainment created in contemporary Japan.  It is part of the register that Modern Japanese uses in reference to the life of samurais.  No, I don't think 自害 is becoming an unpopular word considering the media influence.

Some native speakers, however, opt to use 自決 for certain samurai suicides.  I doubt if such usage is not intended to communicate a nuance that alternatives do not carry.  While Googling, I came across instances of 自決 referring to the suicide of one of the masterminds of the Namamugi Incident and a lieutenant of Japanese army attempting to kill himself in the internment camp.  I find the word carrying militaristic and sympathetic (if not laudatory) nuances.

自決 is presumably a more recent creation than 自害.  In fact the latter has been the most general word for suicide (by samurais and their family, at least) since _The Tale of the Heike_ (見るべき程の事は見つ。いまは自害せん).  It, therefore, provides ample room for nuanced synonyms (自決, 自刃, 自尽, 自裁 and the modern common word 自殺).


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