haiku

noun

hai·​ku ˈhī-(ˌ)kü 

plural haiku or haikus

: an unrhymed verse form of Japanese origin having in English three lines containing usually five, seven, and five syllables respectively

… with the declaration of war, I was not sure what the coming spring portended. So two weeks after Pearl Harbor, I wrote in haiku: Beyond mind's torment, / Reach out and grasp a sprig of / The flowering quince.

—Toyo Suyemoto

also : a poem in this form usually having a seasonal reference

I translate haiku in one line because most Japanese haiku writers, both standard and nonstandard, treat it as a one-line form and adjust its prosody accordingly. … It has long been a tradition to present haiku in non-Japanese languages as tercets…

—Hiroaki Sato

[Tonya Foster] does not write fully traditional haiku (free-standing, improvisational, about the seasons).

—Stephanie Burt

Jacob Harris, senior software architect at The New York Times, has developed an algorithm to find accidental haikus in the paper, from the mundane: "The one thing to be / careful about is trimming / the broccoli rabe," to the poetic: "The buzzing of a / thousand bees in the tiny / curled pearl of an ear."

—Annalisa Quinn

compare tanka

Note: A haiku is an unrhymed Japanese poetic form that in English usually consists of 17 syllables arranged in three lines containing five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. A haiku expresses much and suggests more in just a few words. The form first emerged in Japanese literature in the 17th century (though it did not become known by the name haiku until the 19th century) when Bashō, a Japanese poet considered by many to be the greatest practitioner of the form, elevated it to a highly refined art. A poem written in the haiku form or a modification of it in a language other than Japanese is also called a haiku. The Imagist poets of the early 20th century helped popularize the form in English.

Did you know?

A haiku is an unrhymed Japanese poetic form that consists of 17 syllables arranged in three lines containing five, seven, and five syllables, respectively. A haiku expresses much and suggests more in the fewest possible words. The form gained distinction in the 17th century, when Basho, a Japanese poet considered the greatest practitioner of the form, elevated it to a highly refined art. It remains Japan’s most popular poetic form. The Imagist poets (1912–30) and others have imitated the form in English and other languages.

Examples of haiku in a Sentence

He has written many beautiful haiku.

Recent Examples on the Web

Later, Navalny discovered that there was no Japanese neurosurgeon, no dead toddler and no haiku. —Robin Abcarian, Twin Cities, 31 Oct. 2024

Here’s the etymology, this time as a haiku: From Old English roots, Healf, meaning half or part, Divide, share in two. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

For those who missed it, a haiku: Think big but act small Amplify humanity Measure the results The news below. —Byandrew Nusca, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2024

The award-winning work, told through a mix of free verse and haiku, offers a poignant and nuanced look at a young person growing up Black in the nineteen-sixties and seventies, finding herself through the art of writing. —The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

haiku

noun

hai·​ku ˈhī-(ˌ)kü 

plural haiku

: a verse form of Japanese origin having three lines containing five, seven, and five syllables respectively

also : a poem written in this form