--- title: The Haiku Guys | What Is Haiku Anyways? description: The Haiku Guys | A quick introduction to haiku and why we love it so much. image: https://events.haikuists.com/hubfs/Haiku_Guys__Gals_August2019%20Theme/Images/Weddings-Hero.jpg --- [![haikuists-logo__black-1](https://events.haikuists.com/hubfs/haikuists-logo__black-1.png) ![haikuists-logo__black-1](https://events.haikuists.com/hubfs/haikuists-logo__black-1.png)](https://www.haikuists.com) - [event entertainment](https://haikuists.com/event-entertainment/) - [weddings](https://haikuists.com/weddings/) - [about](https://haikuists.com/about/) - [haiku for everyone](https://haikuists.com/about/haiku-for-everyone/) - [FAQ’s](https://haikuists.com/frequently-asked-questions/) ![Haiku Guys & Gals](https://events.haikuists.com/hubfs/Haiku_Guys__Gals_August2019%20Theme/Images/Logo-Black.png) # The Haiku Guys | What Is Haiku Anyways? [poetry](https://events.haikuists.com/tag/poetry) [haiku](https://events.haikuists.com/tag/haiku) [history](https://events.haikuists.com/tag/history) By [Leah Clancy](https://events.haikuists.com/author/leah-clancy) October 19, 2019 ![Haiku Poem Typewriter Poet Custom Poetry ](https://events.haikuists.com/hubfs/Haiku_Guys__Gals_August2019%20Theme/Images/Weddings-Hero.jpg) When [The Haiku Guys + Gals](https://www.thehaikuguys.com) sit down at our typewriters for a special event to write on-the-spot haiku, we encounter this wide range of reactions. While some poetry aficionados guests immediately know the poetic form, others call back to a vague memory of learning about it in elementary school.  Haiku poetry is complex. Sometimes, people don’t have a clue what haiku is. And sometimes, people are total haiku-heads! But no matter the level of familiarity, we’re always glad to break down *kireji*, *kigo*, and many other aspects of haiku. Haiku is an ancient form of poetry originating in Japan as long as one thousand years ago. In Japanese, *hai* means *unusual* and *ku* means *verse* or *strophe*. So, with the English language take on haiku, the most common form is a compact three-line poem. The first and third lines of haiku are made up of five syllables, and the second is seven. Five—Seven—Five. Just 17 little syllables to make up one incredible poem. Aside from syllable constraints, there are two other features that make a haiku, well, a haiku. The first is *kireji*, or a “cutting word.” The kireji is what gives the poem an axis on which it can turn. Because it is usually a single word or short phrase that adds weight to the poem, it establishes the relationship of speaker’s observations to the poem’s mood. The second traditionally required feature is a *kigo*, or a reference to the season occurring in the poem. Used in other forms of Japanese poetry, this word evokes natural imagery. Additionally, it oftentimes indicates a specific time of year. The tradition of haiku is incredibly rich one. And while haiku in English is a bit more simplified than its pure Japanese form, its constraints open up a vast poetic world that admirably strives to do as much as possible with very little. [The Haiku Guys + Gals](https://www.thehaikuguys.com) deeply respect where haiku has come from.  In sharing this model of poetry in  new place in time, we hope to better  promote it for its poetic power. While not all our poets strictly adhere to the classical standards while writing poetry at parties and events, our contemporary take and creative experimentation is always in honor of our favorite unusual strophe. — > **where five-seven-five** > **finds a home, we gather at** > **its unlikely hearth**   ###### *Sources: [The Haiku Foundation](https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/forum_sm/index.php?topic=717.15), [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_poetry), [Ashley Capes.](https://ashleycapes.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/an-introduction-to-haiku-form-structure-kireji-kigo/)*     ### -See More From [Leah Clancy](https://events.haikuists.com/author/leah-clancy) ### Subscribe Here! Copyright © 2024 [Haikuists](https://haikuists.com/). -