Learn the art of haiku

By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. We'll see you in your inbox soon. A haiku is traditionally a Japanese poem consisting of three short lines that do not rhyme. The origins of haiku poems can be traced back as far as the 9th century.

Haiku examples

A haiku is considered to be more than a type of poem ; it is a way of looking at the physical world and seeing something deeper, like the very nature of existence. It should leave the reader with a strong feeling or impression. Take a look at the following examples of traditional and modern haiku poems to see what we mean. Their work is still the model for traditional haiku writing today.

We have also included examples from Natsume Soseki here, a famed novelist and contemporary of Shiki, who also wrote haiku. Reviewing examples of haiku poems is an excellent way to become familiar with this form of poetry and the sensory language it uses, and gain some inspiration. In Japanese, there are five "moras" in the first and third line, and seven in the second, following the standard structure of haiku.

A mora is a sound unit, much like a syllable, but is not identical to it. This rhythm is often lost in translation, as not every English word has the same number of syllables, or moras, as its Japanese counterpart. For example, haiku has two syllables in English and in Japanese, it has three moras. Here are three examples of haiku poems from Matsuo Basho , considered the greatest haiku poet:.

Here are three examples of haiku poems from Yosa Buson , a haiku master poet and painter:.