What Is Haiku? Definition, History & Examples

A haiku is a Japanese poem in three lines, with 17 syllables in the first line and 15 syllables in the second. The third line has five.

Why does this matter? Because it’s not a very long poem! In fact, it’s about as long as a little kid’s-a-playing-in-the-yard poem: “The cat sat on the mat. The dog slept on the bed.”

Haiku can be funny and clever, or they can be sad and beautiful. They’re short poems that are perfect for reading aloud because they have a natural rhythm to them (and you don’t need words that rhyme!).

Haiku came from ancient China and Japan and were written there before the invention of printing presses. They’re called “Japanese Versed Rhymes” because they rhyme like nursery rhymes do in English.

Haiku Structure

 A Haiku is a 3-line, 5-character poem that uses three syllables in the 1st, third and fifth line, respectively. A Haiku uses imagery and a natural rhythm of alternating short and long lines to create a powerful effect. The form is also known as “short-short” or “three-line poem.”

Haiku structure

The haiku consists of three “lines,” each of which contains five syllables, plus an optional punctuation mark at the end. The first line begins with a five-syllable word followed by two three-syllable words; the second line contains four five-syllable words; and the third line contains three five-syllable words.

The ending punctuation mark can be one of two forms: either a period (.), which signals poetry’s end, or an exclamation point (!) which signals something unexpected or new has occurred.

Haiku Examples

 A koi fish swimming in the pond

As a child, I loved to swim in the pond with my mother. She would push me in and I would swim around. We had fun doing this, but then something happened. The koi fish swam into my path and I just couldn’t avoid them anymore! They were too fast and they would eat me if I didn’t get out of their way! My mother tried to help me by pushing them away, but it was no use.

   

The koi fish would just keep coming back faster than before until one day, she had enough and threw herself in front of me so that I could get out of the way. It wasn’t fair for her to lose her life for me, so I decided that from that day on all koi fish will be extinct!

The History And Form Of The Haiku

 The history of the haiku is a fascinating one. It is not just a simple poem consisting of three lines and 17 syllables, but rather a complex form that has been evolving over the centuries, changing with each new generation.

Haiku was originally written in Japanese and became popular during the 1800s when it was introduced to Japan from China by poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). The earliest known examples date back to the tenth century, but it wasn’t until Basho brought this style to Japan that it became popular.

The Japanese government accepted Basho’s work as an official poem in 1789, which led to its widespread acceptance throughout Japan at this time. This was also when the term “haiku” was first used in print.

The form of haiku has changed over time and today there are many different variations on this type of poem, including tanka (17 lines), renku (11 lines), shokku (5 lines) and other forms of poetry such as waka (Japanese poetry written in classical styles).

What Is Renga, Haiku, And Waka

 Renga, haiku, and waka are three Japanese poetic forms. These forms are traditionally used to express a single idea or concept in a concise manner.

Renga is a type of short verse that uses three lines of six syllables each, the first line has five syllables and the last line has seven syllables. It can be used as an interjection or an exclamation.

Haiku is a type of poem that uses five syllables in each line to express a single idea or concept. In haiku, there is no punctuation between the lines; instead, it’s usually written in all lowercase letters on one line and all upper-case letters on the next line.

Waka is another type of poem that uses five syllables in each line to express a single idea or concept. Unlike haiku, it uses full stops between lines and has no punctuation between them either.

   

Guide To Kigos In Haikus

1. Kigo is a Japanese word that means “theme” or “subject.” It can also mean “message,” and it’s often used in Japanese poetry to indicate the subject of a poem.
2. In haiku, kigo may be used as a subject, but it’s not always clear when you should use it and when you shouldn’t; it’s usually best if you don’t use it at all if the subject doesn’t fit with your poem’s theme.
3. The most common types of kigo are seasonal words such as cherry blossom, plum blossom and snow (or any wintery words); nature references like trees and mountains; and weather terms such as rain and fog (which makes sense since haiku is about nature).
4. You can also use kigo to refer to objects or people in your haiku (like “sun” or “king”). But again, this is usually best avoided because it doesn’t fit with the other elements of your poem — like the season or weather conditions — so you’ll end up sounding confusingly rote if you try too hard to match things up.

Guide To Kirejis In Haikus

 The most common kireji in haiku is the syllable ka. In some cases, this is a true syllabic capping. For example, the first line of this poem by Issa compares the moon to a beautiful woman:

月は桃色のお婆さん

In other cases, the kireji is a metrical capping and not a syllabic one. For example, here’s a line from Bashō’s famous haiku about a pine tree:

某山家の子供がいたとき。

This line has two kireji: こ (koso) is a metrical capping that tells us that it was at that time when there was child in the house. の (no) serves as an iambic capping for the 2nd half of each line and acts as an indicator that what we are looking at is related to something that happened in that house.

Haiku In Poetry

 Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that consists of 17 syllables. It was first used to write poems about nature and everyday life. Haiku is often written in the form of a poem, but it can also be used as a theme for a piece of music or as an inscription on a pottery bowl. The name haiku derives from the expression “ha” meaning “to live,” and “ku,” which means “spring.”

   

There are two traditional forms of haiku: tanka and haiku. A tanka is a short, five-line poem that was traditionally used by Japanese women to celebrate their love for others. Haiku has become more popular since then and is now commonly used as well.

Haiku has been described as being succinct, poignant and sometimes humorous in nature. The word “haiku” itself means spring rain, so when writing haiku you should try to capture what spring brings out in your mind’s eye—beauty, joy or simply life itself!

What Is A Haiku Example

 The haiku is a Japanese poetic form that has been around for centuries. The original purpose of the form was to make an impression on readers through brevity and simplicity. It is still used today, but it has evolved into a more versatile form than ever.

Haiku examples can be found in many different types of literature and art forms, so it’s not difficult to think of one for every occasion. Here are some common examples:

– A haiku about the beauty of nature: “The pines stand tall on the hill/A soft breeze rustles their leaves.”

– A haiku about life lessons: “You learn from your mistakes/And you learn from your victories.”

– A haiku about finding love: “Love never dies, even if you do/It just grows stronger with time.”

– A haiku about the power of nature: “Sunlight glistens on water’s surface/The moon shines bright in the sky tonight.”

Examples Of Haikus

 Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry. Haiku is a three line poem in 5-7-5 syllables. Each line has five syllables and each syllable has a short, long and two syllables. There are no rhymes in haiku.

A haiku is a very short poem that can be about nature or about everyday life. It has been said that the haiku is the perfect expression for what we feel at the moment.

It was invented by Japanese poet Basho in 1689 during the time of war with China. Haiku means “pond” or “lake” in Japanese. It is written in 3 lines of 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively arranged into 5-7-5 patterns known as the tanka form (Japanese: Tanka).

Popular Japanese Haikus

 The best way to learn Japanese is by reading. There is no better way than to read the works of your favorite writers, poets and essayists in the language. For example, there are many haiku written by famous Japanese poets that can help you improve your language skills. Here are some popular haiku in Japanese:

Hatadori wa kumo no yuuki ni

The wind is a strong warrior

Oki mo nai kono me wa mado no toki wo shimau

I will not regret this fleeting moment, when I look at this window in silence

Kagayaki kioku wo koe mo shiranai

Even if I cannot see the dazzling light, I will listen to its song

Kono hana ga hoho ni naru nante nakushita hana ga hoho ni naru nante nakushita hana ga hoho ni naru nante nakushita hana ga hoho ni naru nante

   

What Is A Haiku – Wrap Up

A haiku is a 3-line poem that has 17 syllables and 5 moras. It is written in Japanese and was created by the 5th century Japanese poet, Basho. Haiku’s are often used to express the moment before you leave or after you return home from a trip or vacation.

The first line of the haiku expresses what you want to say; it conveys your feelings about something or someone. The second line describes that thing/person, but in a very short way; this is called “makura” (tree roots). The third line describes how you feel about what was said in the second line; this is called “wabi” (fragile).

Haiku poems can be about anything: nature, food, weather and people. They can also be about simple things like haiku itself or about more complex subjects such as death or loss of loved ones.