佳か句く

か

く

Meanings

beautiful passage; fine verse; excellent phrase

Refers to a particularly well-crafted line or passage in poetry or prose. Often used in literary criticism or appreciation.

この詩しには佳か句くがいくつも見みられる。
Many beautiful passages can be found in this poem.

Usage patterns

佳か句くを詠よむto compose a fine verse
芭ば蕉しょうは旅たびの途と中ちゅうで多おおくの佳か句くを詠よんだ。
Basho composed many fine verses during his travels.
佳か句くとして知しられるto be known as an excellent phrase
この一いっ節せつは古ふるくから佳か句くとして知しられている。
This passage has long been known as a fine piece of verse.
佳か句くを残のこすto leave behind a fine verse for posterity
彼かれは生しょう涯がいにいくつもの佳か句くを後こう世せいに残のこした。
Over his lifetime, he left behind several fine verses for future generations.

Kanji

佳excellent, beautiful, good
句phrase, clause, sentence

Related words

秀しゅう句く
秀句 and 佳句 both mean an excellent phrase or verse, but 佳句 is the more commonly used term in modern Japanese.
名めい句く
名句 tends to describe a phrase that has become famous or widely quoted, while 佳句 simply praises the craftsmanship of a line without implying fame.
名めい文ぶん
名文 refers to an entire piece of excellent writing, while 佳句 focuses on a single outstanding phrase or verse.

Opposites

拙せっ句く
拙句 describes a clumsy or unpolished verse, the opposite of the refined, well-crafted 佳句.

Etymology

Compound of 佳 (excellent, beautiful) and 句 (phrase, verse). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used in classical Chinese and Japanese literary contexts.