Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

俳句 (はいく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

俳はい句く

は

い

く

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

haiku; 17-mora poem

A traditional Japanese short poem, typically in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 morae, often with a seasonal reference.

彼かれは毎まい日にち俳はい句くを一ひとつ作つくっている。
He composes one haiku every day.
この俳はい句くは芭ば蕉しょうの有ゆう名めいな

作さく

品ひん

です

。

This haiku is a famous work by Bashō.

Written forms

俳はい句くUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling; the word is almost always written this way.
ハイクUsage<1%

Kanji

俳haiku, actor
句phrase, clause, sentence

Similar words

短たん歌か
Tanka is a 31-mora poem (5-7-5-7-7), longer than haiku.
川せん柳りゅう
Senryū shares the 5-7-5 form but focuses on human nature and humor, often without a seasonal word.

Etymology

From Middle Chinese-derived elements 俳 (playful, actor) and 句 (phrase, verse). The term was established in the late 19th century by Masaoka Shiki to distinguish the standalone 5-7-5 form from the opening stanza (発句) of a linked-verse sequence.