慟哭

• Reading: どうこく
• Romaji: dōkoku
• Kanji breakdown: 慟 (dō) — to grieve deeply; 哭 (koku/na) — to wail, weep aloud
• Pronunciation: /doːko̞kɯ/

Meaning

Wailing; lamentation; bitter, uncontrollable weeping. Expressing overwhelming grief through anguished, unrestrained crying.

A highly literary and formal noun and する-verb (慟哭する). Describes the most extreme form of grieving — weeping that cannot be suppressed or controlled. Used in tragic literary contexts: the death of a loved one, witnessing destruction, or confronting unbearable loss. Much stronger and more formal than 泣く (to cry) or 号泣 (gōkyū — sobbing). Rarely appears in everyday speech; primarily found in literature and formal journalism.

Examples

1. 息子の訃報を受けた母は、慟哭してその場に崩れ落ちた。 Upon receiving word of her son's death, the mother wailed and collapsed on the spot.
2. 戦場で仲間を失った兵士の慟哭は、誰の胸にも響いた。 The soldier's anguished wailing over the loss of his comrades on the battlefield resonated in everyone's heart.
3. 葬儀の場で、彼は人目も憚らず慟哭した。 At the funeral, he wailed openly, indifferent to the eyes of others.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, tragedy, bereavement, journalism

Tone: intense

Origin & History

Compound of 慟 (dō — to grieve deeply, to be in deep sorrow) and 哭 (koku/naku — to wail, weep aloud). Both characters denote expressions of deep grief; together they form one of the most intense vocabulary items for sorrow in Japanese.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal