短歌(たんか)

たんか
noun
tanka; 31-syllable poem
leisure
1. tanka; 31-syllable Japanese poem
A traditional Japanese poetic form consisting of five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 mora pattern. One of the oldest forms of Japanese poetry, dating back over a thousand years. Still actively composed today, with newspaper columns and poetry contests keeping the tradition alive.
短歌(たんか)を詠(よ)む。
To compose a tanka.
新聞(しんぶん)の短歌(たんか)欄(らん)に毎週(まいしゅう)投稿(とうこう)している。
I submit to the newspaper's tanka column every week.
万葉集(まんようしゅう)には約(やく)4500首(しゅ)の短歌(たんか)が収(おさ)められている。
The Man'yoshu contains approximately 4,500 tanka poems.

Usage: 短歌(たんか) follows a 5-7-5-7-7 mora pattern across five lines. Poems are counted with the counter 首(しゅ). The verb for composing tanka is 詠(よ)む.

The form predates haiku; historically the upper portion (5-7-5) and lower portion (7-7) were sometimes composed by different people as a literary game. In modern times, tanka enjoys renewed popularity especially among younger poets.

Common collocations

  • 短歌(たんか)を詠(よ)む: to compose a tanka
  • 短歌(たんか)集(しゅう): a collection of tanka
  • 短歌(たんか)欄(らん): tanka column (in a newspaper)
  • 一首(いっしゅ): one tanka poem

Similar words

Related Words

Compare: 俳句(はいく) (17-syllable poem)
Compare: 和歌(わか) (Japanese poem)
Compare: 川柳(せんりゅう) (humorous 17-mora poem)
Compare: 現代詩(げんだいし) (modern poetry)
general
Added 2026.3.6 20:46 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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