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.
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
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
Usage
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.