Japanese Poems: The Top Two Styles

Japanese poems, once inspired by the poetry of the Chinese and even written in the Chinese language, have since taken on a life and form of their very own. When discussing Japanese-language poetry, there are basically two major styles that come to mind. They are the tanka and the haiku. Both forms have been in existence since some time in the 19th century.

The tanka is a poem written in five metrical lines. The first line consists of five syllables followed by the second line which consists of seven syllables. The third line has a five syllable count and the fourth line has seven syllables. The last line also has seven syllables.

The subject of a tanka, formerly known as waka, is generally nature, something seasonal, or love, or other strong emotions. They often use metaphor, personification, and simile.

The haiku, previously known as hokku, is a poem written in only three metrical lines. The first line consists of five syllables followed by the second line which consists of seven syllables. Unlike the tanka, the haiku concludes with a third line which has a five syllable count.

Traditionally, the subject of a haiku is nature or something seasonal. While the Japanese normally print haiku in one vertical line, when translated into the English language, a haiku appears in the three-line format to parallel the metrical format of the original Japanese.

Today, both of the above-mentioned forms are taught in school systems worldwide and many poets from other countries have written and even published their own versions of haikus and tankas. Both genres still remain very popular today.