How to Write a Haiku

Haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that combine three different lines and a noticeable grammatical break. The break, or kireji, is often replaced with commas or hyphens in English haiku. Haiku usually includes nature and everyday things and situations so don't think too hard about what to use as a topic.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thesaurus
• Notebook Paper or Spiral Notebook
• Word Processor
• Pencil
• Pen
• Dictionary
• Spiral Notebook

1. Think about a theme for your haiku and write down some of the words that come to mind on that theme.

2. Organize your thoughts roughly onto three lines. First, set the scene, then expand on that by expressing a feeling, making an observation or recording an action. Keep it simple.

3. Polish your haiku into three lines, the first with five syllables, the second line with seven syllables and the third line with five syllables. It may take some time and substitution of words to make it fit.

Tips & Warnings

• Express a single mood or emotion in your haiku. Think about a common experience or sight in a new and different way.
• Some writers incorporate a pause into the poem, indicated by the use of a colon, semicolon, hypen or elipses. This helps to focus attention on the insight your poem presents.
• The classic haiku theme is nature and many traditional Japanese haiku contain seasonal words and images like falling snow, twinkling fireflies, an emerging crocus or leaves blowing in the wind.

[paulokinawa]

on 5/29/2009 Simply writing in 5-7-5 or short-long-short (one breath) format do not make a haiku. The modern day, so-called avant garde "haijin" are completely ignoring season words and other traditional aspects of the genre and leaning heavily toward the purely emotional. These are not haiku; but are senryu (as long as they deal with human foibles). Many times they are only short statements of fact.

[aqswde]

on 4/9/2009 i wrote one here it is:Darkness is comingLight will disappear in airFinally DEATH comes.

[amylynnhess]

on 3/11/2009 I believe the 5/7/5 is a misinterpretation of the characters in translation. It is more "correct" to think of the poem as capturing one moment in one breath. That means it could be 3/2/4 or 5/3/5, or any combination of syllables - as long as it can be said in one breath. :)

[jtgetty]

on 2/15/2009 This is a helpful article. At http://www.endurancearts.com people write haikus and post other art all relating to endurance sports like running, triathlon, marathon, hiking, and more.

[haikutec]

on 1/12/2009 The best haiku are a mixture of direct experience with telling the truth as if it is a lie:

http://web.archive.org/web/20031009113930/http://www.haijinx.com/II-1/articles/gallagher.html
http://www.millikin.edu/haiku/writerprofiles/JonesOnIshihara.html

Or just go to my Area 17 blog and check out the quality links to many good haiku sites at: http://area17.blogspot.com