Tanka is a form of poetry from Japan, using only 5 lines of 5-7-5-7-7 syllables respectively. Tanka usually express emotions about a lover or a type of longing. They can use metaphors, unlike haiku. Tanka in English do not follow the same syllable count as in Japanese, as the two languages are two far apart in terms of syllables. In English, tanka are written as 5 lines as well, but in this format:
JOIN OUR LEARNING HUB
✅ AI Essay Writer ✅ AI Detector ✅ Plagchecker ✅ Paraphraser
✅ Summarizer ✅ Citation Generator
✅ AI Essay Writer ✅ AI Detector ✅ Plagchecker ✅ Paraphraser
✅ Summarizer ✅ Citation Generator
short line
long line
short line
long line
long line
Here is a translated example of a tanka of Ono no Komachi, a ninth-century Japanese female poet:
awake tonight
with loneliness
I cannot keep myself
from longing
for the handsome moon
Opt out or Contact us anytime. See our Privacy Notice
Follow us on Reddit for more insights and updates.
More from Poem Examples and Samples
Apr 01 2016
If It is True What the Prophets Write by William Blake Essay Sample, Example
< 1 min read
Related Writing Guides
How to Write a Poem
In a broad sense, a poem is an organization of speech into a form that uses rhythm, symbols, and metaphors to create a mood or to give a certain impression. Usually a poem...
Comments (0)
Welcome to A*Help comments!
We’re all about debate and discussion at A*Help.
We value the diverse opinions of users, so you may find points of view that you don’t agree with. And that’s cool. However, there are certain things we’re not OK with: attempts to manipulate our data in any way, for example, or the posting of discriminative, offensive, hateful, or disparaging material.