Haiku is originally which language's poetic tradition?

Haiku is originally which language's poetic tradition?

• A. Chinese
• B. Japanese
• C. Korean
• D. Vietnamese

Answer: (B)

Haiku comes from Japanese poetry. It started as hokku, the opening stanza of a collaborative linked-verse called renga in medieval and early modern Japan, and over time poets began treating that opening section as its own poem. By the Edo period, the standalone form was widely recognized as haiku, a name that comes from the phrase haikai no ku. The traditional Japanese haiku is built around a short, image-led moment framed by the language’s rhythm: it often follows a 5-7-5 mora pattern, includes a seasonal reference (kigo), and uses a cutting word (kireji) to create a pause or pivot in the thought. When we study haiku in English, the syllable count is a common approximation, but the original relies on morae in Japanese. While other languages have their own compact poetic forms, the roots of haiku are distinctly Japanese.

Haiku comes from Japanese poetry. It started as hokku, the opening stanza of a collaborative linked-verse called renga in medieval and early modern Japan, and over time poets began treating that opening section as its own poem. By the Edo period, the standalone form was widely recognized as haiku, a name that comes from the phrase haikai no ku. The traditional Japanese haiku is built around a short, image-led moment framed by the language’s rhythm: it often follows a 5-7-5 mora pattern, includes a seasonal reference (kigo), and uses a cutting word (kireji) to create a pause or pivot in the thought. When we study haiku in English, the syllable count is a common approximation, but the original relies on morae in Japanese. While other languages have their own compact poetic forms, the roots of haiku are distinctly Japanese.