Free Haiku Generator
Generate a haiku that actually keeps the 5-7-5 count, with a seasonal image and a real turn between the second and third line.
A blank page, for now
Choose a form on the left, tell it what the poem is about, and it will write. You can edit every line afterwards.
Free, unlimited, no account needed. Press ⌘ Enter to write.
What is a haiku?
A haiku holds one moment still. Seventeen syllables, three lines, and a hinge in the middle where the image turns into something else. The count is the easy part. The turn is what separates a haiku from a sentence chopped into three.
The rules, exactly
- Exactly three lines with 5, 7, and 5 syllables in that order.
- No rhyme.
- Include a seasonal or natural image (kigo) and a turn or cut (kireji) between the second and third line.
- Present tense.
- No title inside the poem body.
- Lines
- 3
- Syllables
- 5-7-5
- Rhyme
- No Rhyme
Where it comes from
The form grew out of the opening stanza of the Japanese renga, and became a standalone poem under Matsuo Bashō in the seventeenth century. Japanese counts sound units rather than English syllables, which is why strict 5-7-5 in English is a convention rather than a translation.
An old silent pond A frog jumps into the pond Splash! Silence again.