A haiku (pronounced Hi-KOO) is a traditional Japanese poem that seeks to capture a moment in time, like taking a snapshot, usually about nature. Considering the history of Buddhist influence in the country of Japan, the haiku also often conveys a profound statement of enlightenment or understanding, sometimes like a proverb.
Traditionally in Japan, haiku poems were written in one single line extending vertically down the page, while English writers compose the haiku in three lines. Haikus consists of three groups of syllables with a pause between the each group to total seventeen syllables. Haikus do not usually rhyme. When written in English, each syllable group is on its own line. The first and third lines each have five syllables. The second line has seven syllables. If you read some traditional Japanese haikus that have been translated into English, they may not strictly follow the 5-7-5=17 syllable arrangement due to translation issues in which the Japanese word and the English word have different syllables. One more detail about the haiku, they’re usually written in present tense.
Matsuo Bashō is a well-known poet from the 1600s. Here is a haiku he wrote:
The First Cold Shower
Hatsu shigure saru mo komino o hoshige nari.
When separating the syllables to pause, you would get the following breakdown:
Ha-tsu shi-gu-re (5)
sa-ru mo ko-mi-no o (7)
ho-shi-ge na-ri (5)
Translated, that says:
The first cold shower
even the monkey seems to want
a little coat of straw.
There is more to learn about the history of the haiku, including traditional use of words and placement of those words. If you want to learn more, check out this Wikipedia article about the haiku.
There are many other types of Japanese poetry. The senryū, for example, is quite similar to the haiku, though they tend to be written about people and are more cynical in nature. Learn more here. Some other types of Japanese poetry you could learn more about are the waka and the tanka. Click on each to learn more.
Your assignment today is to write a haiku about anything you want. Here is mine:
For Go Teen Writers
For Go Teen Writers
I write posts about poems to
inspire young writers.
Jill Williamson is a chocolate loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms, and the author of several young adult fantasy novels including the Blood of Kings trilogy. She loves teaching about writing. She blogs at goteenwriters.com and also posts writing videos on her YouTube channel and on Instagram. Jill is a Whovian, a Photoshop addict, and a recovering fashion design assistant. She grew up in Alaska without running water or electricity and now lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two kids. Find Jill online at jillwilliamson.com or on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Here’s my try at a haiku!
The Fourth of July
Barbecue cooking
Fireworks up in the sky
The red, white, and blue
I dig it!
Nice! It’s perfect, Riya. 🙂
I wrote each of my haikus about objects. See if you can guess what they are!
Pink and green sweetness
Juicy taste of happiness
Dripping down the chin
Red, blue, green kyber
Weapon of light or darkness
Deadly blade of flame
Soul contained in gold
Forg’d with vile incantations
Whispers of deceit
Heart with silver thread
Entwined upon my bosom
Memories long gone
Portal- worlds unknown
Right within my fingertips
Ingenuity
I love that you wrote them like riddles, Litore. I think Jack called the first two. The third one makes me think of a horcrux from Harry Potter… The fourth one a locket? And the last one… a book??? (I honestly don’t feel confident about any of my guesses. Ha ha.)
Super close, it is a kind of horcrux but not from HP.
Yes!
And no, but i see how that would fit.
I think a watermelon, a light saber, and then I got lost, but I really liked them!
Yep, exactly!
I’m glad you did haiku! Sometimes, I write very bad haiku. I will not post it on here, it’s too bad.
The sun warms my skin
And wheat dances in the wind
Let the rain fall now
Love this one. So pretty!
I love this! I’ve been wanting to learn more of Haiku’s. Including how to pronounce it, lol.
Here’s mine.
Social Porcupine:
I need all the people’s hugs
But do not touch me
MB: keturahskorner.blogspot.com
PB: thegirlwhodoesntexist.com
Cute, Keturah! Nicely done. Haiku sounds like High-coo (like in cool). In the US, we pronounce it hai-KU, with emphasis on the second syllable. I think that, however, in Japanese, the emphasis is reversed: HAI-ku. Consider this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hDXOABTLD4