Today, 17 April, is International Haiku Poetry Day. It’s thus an exciting date if you’re into Japanese poetry! But what exactly are haiku? And how do you write one? Let us explain a few of the basics.
Haiku are a type of short poem from Japan. Traditionally, these poems:
In Japan, poets traditionally write haiku as a single vertical line, read from top to bottom. But when we write them in English, we use three separate lines:
A midsummer night The silence will break with dawn For now, it is calm
The ‘rules’ above are fairly flexible these days, so if you want to write about something other than nature or with a different structure, that’s entirely up to you! But if you are new to this poetic form, using the traditional structure and style is a good writing exercise.
Kigo are seasonal words traditionally used in Japanese poetry. There are even lists of kigo specifically for poets to use.
Some kigo have obvious connections to a specific season, such as our use of ‘midsummer’ in the example above. But some are less obvious if you don’t know the traditions they’re based on. For instance, the ‘moon’ (tsuki) is an autumn kigo despite being visible all year round.
Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.
You do not have to use an ‘official’ kigo in your poem if you choose not to. However, you should use language that evokes a time and place if you want it to feel like a traditional haiku.
The literal translation of kireji is ‘cutting word’. Broadly, these function as a kind of punctuation in some types of Japanese poetry, often to add emphasis. For instance, a haiku might use a kireji at the end of the first and third lines to emphasise a point of contrast. Or you could add a kireji between the second and third lines to indicate a turning point in a poem.
However, English does not contain any direct equivalent to these terms. This makes writing a ‘proper’ haiku difficult, but you can approximate kireji in English using punctuation. It also helps to think about the purpose of kireji in Japanese haiku. Even if you cannot add a literal kireji, for instance, you can phrase your poem in a way that emphasises a juxtaposition.
Finally, we’ll offer a few pointers to use when writing haiku in English:
Leave us a comment below this post with your poetic efforts!
And if you’d like us to check any of your writing – creative or otherwise – send us the document today.
Δ
9-minute read
Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...
8-minute read
Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...
7-minute read
Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...
Effective professional communication is an important skill for contractors and freelancers navigating remote work environments....
3-minute read
Google Docs is a powerful collaborative tool, and mastering its features can significantly enhance your...
2-minute read
If you’re writing about health issues, you might need to reference the Centers for Disease...