What is Haiku?

Haiku Examples

Haiku is a form of poetry first made popular in Japan, which has become appreciated around the world. Haiku poets are challenged to convey a vivid message in only 17 syllables. One of the greatest Haiku poets was the Samurai Basho (1644-94). To become a Samurai, Basho served a local lord who was fond of writing. Basho learned the style of writing Haiku and wrote under the name Sobo. During the years, Basho traveled throughout Japan, writing and further developing the Haiku style. Bahso continued to write haiku up until his death in Osaka, Japan, in 1694. Here is a sample of Basho's haiku style:

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Spring morning marvel
lovely nameless little hill
on a sea of mist 

In Japan these poems are valued for their simplicity, openness, depth and lightness.

Features of Haiku

• It only contains three lines.
• It has five moras (syllables) in the first line, seven in the second and five in the last line.
• It contains 17 syllables in total.
• A Haiku poem does not rhyme.
• Haiku poems frequently have a kigo or seasonal reference.
• Haiku poems are usually about nature or natural phenomenon.
• The poem has two juxtaposed subjects that are divided into two contrasting parts.
• In English, this division between two parts can be shown by a colon or dash

Haiku poems can describe anything, but are seldom complicated or hard to understand. Almost all Haiku have a dominant impression, or main idea, that appeals strongly to one of the five senses. For example, with the Seasonal Theme, each Haiku must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicates to what season of the year the Haiku relates. For example, blossoms would indicate spring, snow would give the idea of winter, mosquitos would imply summertime. The seasonal words are not always immediately obvious and you might need to consider the theme of the poem to find it. For example:  

Clouds appear and bring -
to men a chance to rest
from looking at the moon 

The seasonal word in this Haiku is clouds, indicating the rainy season.
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 Autumn Moonlight
by Basho

Autumn moonlight-
a worm digs silently
into the chestnut

Dust of Summers
by Hilary Tann

Calling home–
the color of mother’s voice
before her words

Book of Haikus
by Jack Kerouac

Snow in my shoe-
Abandoned
Sparrow’s nest 

 Dust of Summers
by Ludmila Balabanova

Twilight…
his voice
deep purple

To a Leg of Heron
by Basho

To a leg of a heron
Adding a long shank
Of a pheasant