The ins and outs of writing a haiku

How to write a haiku

A traditional Japanese haiku is split into three lines with the following syllable structure:

• 5 syllables in the first line
• 7 syllables in the second line
• 5 syllables in the third line

In addition to the structure, natural imagery, and historical context, there are a few other components to keep in mind while crafting a traditional haiku:

• Kigo: Haikus ground the reader into a season. The kigo is the word or phrase signaling the season. For example, a writer may use sakura (cherry blossoms) to denote spring.
• Kireji: Kireji, or the cutting word, is responsible for juxtaposing two images in a haiku, by breaking the rhythm in the poem.
• Natural imagery: In addition to the kigo, traditional haikus depict nature and the changing of seasons.
• On: An on, pronounced “own” in Japanese, are sounds or phonetic units. Ons are used when writing traditional Japanese haikus, which differ from English syllables. When crafting a traditional haiku, writers use 17 ons instead of syllables.
• Formatting: The format of a haiku in Japanese differs from the English variation. The traditional haiku format is one line. A haiku written in English is formatted on three lines.

History of the haiku

The historical context of the haiku can help to understand it deeply as a poetic form and enhance writing. The origin of the haiku is within the Japanese poetic form, renga. The renga, or linked poem, was popularized in the thirteenth century and is an oral poetic form, created in collaboration with multiple authors.¹

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To start a renga, one poet would create a hokku, which was the opening phrase of this form. The opening phrase was a pair of images grounded in nature, to mark the season the poem was set in. For example, “Three Poets at Minase” (1488), written by Sōgi, Shōhaku, and Sōchō, begins with this translated hokku:

“As it snows the base
of the mountain is misty
this evening” (Sogi)

Rengas were written in past time, primarily created by court poets and monks. When creating rengas, collaborating poets would write a stanza and then alternate with a peer. Thematically, each stanza would build imagery and language referencing the lines beforehand. So, the writing would primarily be focused on seasons and nature. Completed pieces, during the early creation, were generally a hundred stanzas long and each line adhered to a rhythm of 5-7-5 sounds. These sounds were referred to as on, pronounced “own”, in Japanese. These hundred-stanza long rengas were referred to as hyakuin. Other forms of renga that became popularized were the following:²

• Kasen: The kasen is a shorter variation of the renga, with 36 stanzas. At the height of its popularity during the Edo period in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was well known for colloquial and risqué language and writing.
• Haikai: Haikai poems were witty, scandalous, and composed with looser adherence to convention and tone.
• Tan renga: Tan renga is a shortened version of a renga. It consists of one to two verses. Like the renga, it is typically collaborative. But instead of building a hundred-stanza poem, the first author would set the scene with a hokku and the second author would build from it with a second verse.

Historically, the hokku was the most well-preserved component of rengas, and later variations. This led to the hokku, later referred to as haiku, becoming a standalone form.

Haiku poems are a fun way to experiment with form to challenge your creativity while writing. If you are struggling to brainstorm ideas or dealing with writer’s block, learn more writing tips.

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