1.
waka poet; tanka poet
A person who composes waka (和歌) or tanka (短歌), traditional Japanese poetry forms. Used both historically for classical poets and for modern tanka practitioners.
有名な歌人の作品を読む。
To read the works of a famous waka poet.
紀貫之は平安時代を代表する歌人だ。
Ki no Tsurayuki is a representative waka poet of the Heian period.
現代の歌人たちは、日常の言葉を使って新しい短歌を生み出している。
Modern tanka poets are creating new tanka using everyday language.
Specifically refers to a poet who writes 和歌 (waka) or 短歌 (tanka), the traditional 31-syllable Japanese poem form. Composed of 歌 (song/poem) + 人 (person).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 歌人の歌集: a poet's collection of tanka
- 近代歌人: modern-era waka poet
- 女流歌人: female waka poet
- 宮廷歌人: court poet
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 俳人: haiku poet — a poet who writes haiku
- 詩人: poet — a general term for any poet, especially those writing modern free verse
- 歌手: singer — a different word entirely, not to be confused with 歌人
NOTE:
Do not confuse 歌人 with the homophone 佳人 (a beautiful woman). The 歌人 tradition stretches from the 万葉集 era to the present day, with modern 歌人 continuing to innovate within the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable form.