Haiku

Haiku is a
traditional form
of Japanese
poetry.
•The very first books ever
written in Japanese were
collections of legends and
poems.
•The most famous kind of
Japanese poem is the haiku, a
very short poem with only
three lines.
The most famous haiku poet
was Basho (1644-1694).

This is an English translation

of his best known poem:
The old pond
A frog jumps in
Sound of water
Haiku poems consist of

3 lines…
The first and last lines
of a Haiku have 5
syllables and the middle
line has 7 syllables.
Here’s a Haiku to help
you remember…

I am first with five

Then seven in the middle--
Five again to end.
Remember…
A syllable is a part of a word
pronounced as a unit. It is
usually made up of a vowel
alone or a vowel with one or
more consonants.
The word “syllable” has 3
syllables: syl–la-ble
How many How many
syllables are syllables are
in the word in the word
poetry?
poetry haiku?
haiku

3 syllables: 2 syllables:
po-e-try hai-ku
Since the
Haiku poet
only has 3
lines to work
with, Haiku
poems are
usually written
about one
simple thing.
An animal, a season of
the year, a raindrop or
a snowflake are all
examples of things you
might write a Haiku
about.
•Haiku poems can almost act
like a riddle.
•Try writing a Haiku poem
about a certain animal, but
don’t mention the animals
name.
•See if your friends can
guess what you wrote about.
Here is an example…
Green and speckled legs,
Hop on logs and lily pads
Splash in cool water.
What animal do you think this
Haiku is describing?
Before you write your own
haiku…
What types of things
are haiku poems
usually written
about?
Things found in
nature.
How many How many
lines does a syllables in
haiku poem each line?
have? First line: 5
Second line: 7
3 lines
Third line: 5
Now it’s your turn…
Write your own “What
am I?” Haiku