Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

haiku

/haɪˈku/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.08 in modern English

Syllables
haiku
IPA
/haɪˈku/
12
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Japanese poem in three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.

noun

A three-line poem in any language, with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven syllables in the second, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.

name

A village in the census-designated place of Haiku-Pauwela, Hawaii, United States.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 俳(はい)句(く) (haiku), from Middle Chinese 俳 (beaj, “paralleled [writing]”) + 句 (kɨoᴴ, “line”).

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /haɪˈku/
  • British English: /ˈhaɪkuː/

Inflected Forms

haikus (plural)

Derived Forms

haikuish haikuist haikulike limeraiku mathemaku pseudohaiku

Phrases

senryū: a short humorous poem similar to the haiku Haiku-Pauwela

Frequently Paired Words

haikai senryū: a short humorous poem similar to the haiku

Synonyms

hokku

Rhymes With

you do who new two too you-know-who through few true due talk down to

Questions

How do you pronounce haiku?
The recorded pronunciation is /haɪˈku/.
What does haiku mean?
A Japanese poem in three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.
Where does haiku come from?
Borrowed from Japanese 俳(はい)句(く) (haiku), from Middle Chinese 俳 (beaj, “paralleled [writing]”) + 句 (kɨoᴴ, “line”).

How to pronounce haiku

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “haiku”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/haɪˈku/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “haiku”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “haiku” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.