Shopping Cart

Contact us: +44 (0)113 526 5414

How to Write a Haiku Poem

Poetry comes in many forms, from a long, freely written ballad style to shorter pieces like limericks with an emphasis on rhyme. In between these two extremes sits the haiku, an ancient style of Japanese poetry which is now enjoyed by a global audience. Due to its increase in popularity, more people want to know how to write a haiku. So let’s start with the basics!

What Is a Haiku?

The traditional form of Japanese verse only ever has three lines, and words which total 17 syllables – five in the first and third lines and seven in the middle. This structure means a haiku can be read on one breath and remain a short yet very powerful observation on life. In recent years some Westerners have chosen to loosen the boundaries and create haiku with slightly different patterns, such as 4-6-4, but for the most part, the traditional form is still dominant and is the approach discussed here. Due to fundamental differences between Japanese and English, translated haiku do not automatically fit the 5-7-5 model.

Every haiku follows the theme of nature, the seasons or the natural world in general. They rarely use rhyme, and you will never come across similes or direct metaphors; instead, words are stripped back, allowing them to imply much more than could ever be said. A good haiku offers perception and insight by allowing the reader to interpret the words for themselves. A good example of this is this haiku from Matsuo Bashō, one of the most revered Haiku authors in Japanese history. As these haiku examples are translated from Japanese to English, their syllables might not be exactly 5-7-5 when reading in English:

In the cicada’s cry
No sign can foretell
How soon it must die.

what is a haiku

Here Bashō expertly introduces the topic which heightens his emotions but leaves the reader to identify his feelings of sadness over how their joyous singing is the lead-up to death after just a few weeks in the world above ground.

While haiku have strict rules about length, structure and the theme, the author has free rein to play with punctuation and capitalization, as in this example, again from Bashō.

An old silent pond,
A frog jumps into the pond,
Splash! Silence again.

how to write a haiku

Haiku may seem at first like a rather complicated style of poem to tackle, but so long as you follow some basic guidelines they are really quite simple and straightforward.

How to write a haiku

1. Choose a topic

Bearing in mind the theme is always nature-related, begin by deciding on a topic. What are you drawn to? Clouds? Insects? Wildlife?

2. Seek inspiration

It’s important to bring your ideas to life by getting close to nature itself, so disconnect, go outside and allow yourself to really see and hear. Take pictures, sketch or make notes to record your feelings and build on small details.

3.  Find the words

Make lists of descriptive words relating to your topic, add words about relevant emotions too, and then put together some sentences. Don’t worry about their length just yet, and make sure to always keep the language simple.

4. Experiment

Now play with your sentences, gradually paring them down. Use simple language, and keep in mind that your haiku will deliver some kind of message. Look at this more modern example, written by the author James Hackett

Half of the minnows
Within this sunlit shallow
Are not really there.

These words force the reader to work out the puzzle – that the sun’s reflection creates an illusion of twice the number of small fish as are actually there.

5.  Discover Synonyms

Use a thesaurus if you need help finding alternative words to fit into the 5-7-5 syllable format.

It’s standard for the third line of a haiku to include some form of observation on the topic of the poem, which we saw with the impending death of the insect and the silencing of the pond, but there’s room to be playful here too. So adding something unexpected but still connected to the first two lines is fine. This example is from another famous Japanese haiku author, Masaoaka Shiki.

Consider me
As one who loved poetry
And persimmons.

Here is our own attempt at a haiku:

There is nothing like
Using your favourite pen
To write a poem.

what is haiku

We hope you now feel confident in how to write a haiku and can explore this beautiful Japanese form of poetry. On that note, you might wish to browse our selection of pens or read our recent blog post on finding the right pen to improve your handwriting.

Authorised stockist

Secure shopping

5 star reviews