What is the name of the Japanese poetic form with three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables? It is a haiku.
Haiku originated in Japan from the hokku, the opening stanza of the collaborative linked-verse form renga. It gradually became an independent poem. The Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki introduced the term haiku in the late 19th century while advocating new approaches to the older hokku tradition.
Traditional Japanese haiku are usually measured as 17 on, or morae, arranged 5-7-5. Morae are sound units and are not exactly the same as English syllables, so a Japanese 5-7-5 poem may not translate into the same syllable count in English. Classical haiku also commonly include a kigo, or seasonal reference, and a kireji, or cutting word that creates a pause or turn.
The form is often confused with senryū, which also uses a compact structure but typically focuses on human behavior and humor rather than seasonal or natural imagery. Modern haiku written outside Japan may use freer line lengths while retaining the form’s emphasis on concise observation and juxtaposed images.