Poetic Form
Senryu
A short Japanese form like haiku, but about human nature and its absurdities.
Lines3Usually three
Syllables5 / 7 / 5Often shorter in English
SubjectHuman natureNot the seasons
ToneWry, ironicOften funny
About the Senryu
The senryu shares the haiku's short, usually three-line shape but turns its attention away from the natural world toward human nature, folly, irony, social observation. Where haiku tends to reverence, senryu tends to wit.
Structure
Usually three lines. In Japanese, 17 sound units in a 5-7-5 pattern; in English often shorter. Unlike haiku, senryu does not require a season word (kigo) or a cutting word (kireji), and freely treats its subject, usually human behavior, with humor or critique.
Often written in the same three lines of five, seven and five syllables as a haiku, with no season word required.
15 syllables
27 syllables
35 syllables
A Short History
- 1600sComic linked verse grows popular in Japan.
- 1750sKarai Senryū judges verse contests in Edo.
- 1765The first Haifūyanagidaru collection appears.
- TodayPopular in Japan and written in English too.
Famous Senryu
- 01"Haifūyanagidaru" (1765, anonymous verses)Karai Senryū (selector)
Questions About the Senryu
The things people ask most, answered in a sentence or two.
They share the same short, usually three-line shape. A haiku looks at nature and the seasons; a senryu looks at people, their habits and their foolishness, often with humor.
No. Unlike a haiku, a senryu does not need a season word (kigo) or a cutting word (kireji).
Karai Senryū, an 18th-century Japanese poet who judged and collected these verses.