How To Write A Haiku Worksheet

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Learn how to write beautiful and poignant haiku poems that capture a moment

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• Brainstorming Ideas
|
• Drafting
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• Revising and Polishing

If you similar the idea of making a profound affect in just a few words, haiku might be the perfect poetry grade for you. A haiku (俳句 pronounced similar to "high-koo") is a short, 17-syllable poem broken into iii lines, meant to be read in a single jiff. The well-nigh important thing near a haiku is that it captures and conveys a sensory image of a single moment in time, and in a well-written haiku, that image resonates on a deeper level, leaving the reader feeling enlightened and illuminated.^[ane] Read on to larn everything yous need to know to write a powerful haiku verse form of your ain.

Things You Should Know

• Format your haiku into three lines: 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the 3rd.
• Describe two split images on each of the get-go two lines of your haiku.
• Use the 3rd line to bring the images together or remark on their relationship in a surprising way.
• Include a nature or seasonal give-and-take or image somewhere in your haiku.

1. one

2. 2

   Go for a walk in nature. Since most traditional haiku talk virtually nature, a walk in nature is a good way to brainstorm for ideas. Observe your surround silently, absorbing everything around you. If nature isn't available to yous, look at photographs or videos of nature instead.

   • For this to work, you demand all of your senses present—don't take this walk while playing music through headphones. Take a notebook and a pen with you so you tin write down your observations.
   • Y'all tin can likewise record your observations using the notes app on your smartphone. If you go that route, plow off notifications first and so you don't take any distractions.
   • Don't desire to write about nature? That's technically a senryu, which follows the same basic structure, but is more than about humanity than nature.^[ii]

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3. iii

   Meditate to orient yourself in the nowadays moment. A haiku is a moment captured and conveyed in the present tense, as it'south happening. Focus on your jiff to bring yourself into the present moment, then quietly discover the world around you. Really immerse yourself in the moment, absorbing every detail you tin can.^[3]

   • It tin assist to look at the big picture and then think of "zooming in" on a single affair and capturing every possible sensory detail associated with it. For example, yous might be looking out at a forest and focus on a single leaf falling.

4. 4

   Jot down little moments you notice equally you notice your surroundings. You lot want a lot of different things to choose from, so write downwardly as many things every bit possible that you see. A haiku can come up from even the tiniest observation. Yous won't use all of these, so don't worry if they don't seem to chronicle to each other at all.^[4]

   • For example, if it'due south fall, you might discover that the leaves are falling from the trees effectually you. Become smaller! A single leaf falling. A unmarried foliage quivering on a branch before getting taken to the ground past a gust of wind.

5. five

   Draw each moment using sensory words. This can exist a unmarried phrase or a list of words. Effort to include as many of the 5 senses as possible—it gives you more to work with when yous start drafting your haiku. Stick to shorter words, which accept more versatility in the haiku format.^[5]

   • For example, if one of your moments is a single leafage falling, you might list words such every bit "brown," "crunchy," and "dry out."
   • Haiku poems aren't supposed to rhyme, and then yous don't accept to worry well-nigh that as you lot're trying to think of words.

6. vi

   Brand a list of seasonal words to put your moments in context. Seasonal words include names for months and the seasons themselves, every bit well as temperature words and weather words. Phrases that talk virtually the light, the atmosphere, or the length of the solar day can too reflect the flavour to your readers.^[6]

   • For instance, if it's currently fall, you might write down words such equally "well-baked," "cool," "harvest," and "dusk."

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1. 1

   Choose 2 distinct images from your brainstorming lists. The essence of haiku is the juxtaposition of 2 distinct images to reveal a surprising or enlightening relationship between them. For your haiku, these 2 images tin can exist literally anything on your list. The important affair is that they are distinct from each other.^[vii]

   • For example, you might choose a leaf falling to the footing and a gust of wind as your 2 images.
   • The second line of a haiku typically includes a "cutting word"—this is a Japanese concept that doesn't really be in English language, but you tin can think of this equally a moment that pivots, or changes, your scene.

2. two

   Come up upwards with a surprise for the 3rd line. The third line of a haiku relates the images conveyed in the offset ii lines to life or the earth at large in an interesting and surprising way. Ideally, you'll come with something that's thought-provoking and inspirational to your reader.^[8]

   • For example, if your haiku is meditating on a unmarried leafage falling to the basis, you lot might think almost how beautiful the leaves are in the fall. They only become their colors considering they're dying, though, and expiry is non something people unremarkably consider beautiful. There'southward your surprise.
   • You can as well employ wordplay to create your surprise. Throwing in a pun takes your poem beyond its literal pregnant to surprise and amuse your readers.^[9]
   • Zilch in a haiku has to rhyme, but an unexpected rhyme could also fit the nib for the third line.

3. 3

   Fine-melody your lines to fit the 5-vii-v syllabic structure. A syllable is simply a unit of spoken language that consists of a single vowel sound. A traditional English haiku has 5 syllables in the offset line, 7 syllables in the second line, and 5 syllables in the third line. Watch how this might piece of work with the fall leaf haiku example:^[ten]

   • In the first line, the leafage is notwithstanding clinging to a branch of the tree. Y'all might write, "Dry brown leafage quivers." That's five syllables, and then at that place's your first line.
   • The second line features the moment of the gust of air current, which also serves as your "cutting word." You might write, "A sudden gust of wind blows."
   • Your third line surprises your reader by equating death with dazzler. Y'all might simply write, "Beauty in dying."

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1. one

   Read your haiku aloud. Expect at least a few hours (preferably a day) subsequently you draft your haiku to become dorsum to information technology. Read it aloud several times and experience the rhythm. Have note of any stumbling or awkward spots—you'll demand to fix those. Even if your haiku reads smoothly, there yet might exist better words you can use. A haiku is curt, so every give-and-take counts! Enquire yourself the following questions:^[eleven]

   • What is this discussion showing my readers? Is there another word that would do a better job of showing the same matter?
   • Are in that location any words that tell readers what to call back or feel, rather than showing them? How tin yous evidence them the moment more direct?

2. ii

   Revise your haiku based on your observations. Play around with words and images to improve your haiku and aid it read more smoothly. You can run into how this might go with the fall leaf haiku example:^[12]

   • In the first line, the discussion "quivers" is really evocative, so you definitely want to continue that. "Dry" and "dark-brown" aren't exactly inspired, though. Perhaps if you lot changed the order? "Brown leaf dry out quivers" seems more interesting and poetic.
   • The second line definitely has problems. "Gust of wind" is somewhat redundant, and "blows" seems totally unnecessary—what else does a gust of wind do, just blow? Try instead "A sudden gust; branches snap," which enables yous to utilize the semi-colon as your "cut word."
   • The 3rd line cleanly conveys your surprise, and so you could leave it as information technology is.

3. 3

   Share your haiku with others. Get feedback on your haiku from your friends and family members. Ask them if they can see the moment in their heads or if they think your haiku embodies the season well.

   • Other people oftentimes come up with things you wouldn't have thought of on your ain. They can actually inspire you and give you lot fresh insight into your poem.
   • Feel gratuitous to revise your haiku even further based on the feedback you receive.

4. 4

   Format your haiku on the page. Traditionally, haiku are formatted with each line centered so that they form a diamond shape. Punctuation and capitalization are entirely up to you lot! The haiku form doesn't require anything specific, then you lot tin can utilize all lower-case messages with no punctuation at all if that's what you desire.^[13]

   • Haiku traditionally don't have a title. You might add a brusk one for clarification, only it'due south ordinarily not necessary and will just backbite from the impact of your poem.
   • To follow through with the case, the final haiku would be:

     chocolate-brown leafage dry quivers

     a sudden gust; branches snap

     dazzler in dying

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Add together New Question

• Question

  How could I write a Christmas haiku?

  

  This answer was written by ane of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  Since haiku are traditionally about nature, you'd want to start past thinking virtually some natural things that are typically associated with Christmas—holly, peradventure, or pine trees. Only brand a big list of natural things. You might likewise remember about seasonal words associated with winter, such as snow. And, of course, you could ever include the give-and-take Christmas (or a synonym, such equally yuletide) directly in your poem. Have fun!

• Question

  What is the reason for the 5-7-5 syllable structure?

  

  This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Answer

  The short answer is that this is but how this detail poetry format evolved. However, despite what's frequently taught in Western schools, the 5-vii-5 syllabic construction isn't a strict requirement of haiku. In fact, that construction doesn't even really equate to the original Japanese concept, which counts sounds rather than syllables.

• Question

  Can Haiku have punctuation, such as a comma?

  

  This answer was written by i of our trained squad of researchers who validated it for accurateness and comprehensiveness.

  

  wikiHow Staff Editor

  Staff Reply

  Aye, haiku can take whatever punctuation that's necessary or that improves the flow of the poem. Haiku don't need any sort of punctuation at all, though (or even capitalization, for that matter)—whether you include it is entirely up to y'all equally the poet.

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• If you lot're writing a haiku for a course, attempt to stick closely to the 5-7-5 syllable format—your teacher will probable be pretty strict about that! Merely if you're just writing for yourself, don't worry almost it too much.^[fourteen]

• The plural of haiku is haiku—there's no need to add together an "due south" onto it if you're talking nearly more than one.

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About This Article

Article Summary X

To write a haiku poem, write a poem that's iii lines long and make sure each line has the right number of syllables. Give the start line 5 syllables, the 2d line 7 syllables, and the 3rd line 5 syllables. Haikus are supposed to help people clearly visualize something, and then apply sensory details by describing how your subject feels, smells, tastes, looks, and sounds. Besides, utilize the present tense when you're writing your haiku. For more information on how to brainstorm ideas for your haiku from our co-writer with an MFA in Artistic Writing, keep reading!

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