Haiku

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈhaɪ.kuː/
• US IPA: /ˈhaɪ.ku/, /haɪˈku/

Origin

From Japanese

はいく

haiku|lang=ja}, from Middle Chinese 俳 (bɛj "paralleled writing") + 句 (kjù "line").

Full definition of haiku

Noun

1. A Japanese poem of a specific form, consisting of three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.
• Some of the results resemble haikus.
2. A three-line poem in any language, with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven syllables in the second, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.Haiku, a poemfive beats, then seven, then fiveends as it began.
3. Plural of haiku

Derived terms

• mathemaku rare
• pseudohaiku

Synonyms

• hokku