How to Say "Haiku" in Japanese

俳句

haiku[ha̠ikɯ̟]

The Japanese word for haiku is 俳句.

俳句 is a noun referring to a Japanese poem of a specific form.

Meaning: Japanese poem of a specific form (noun)

How do you pronounce it?

The romanization is haiku.

While we call it 俳句 today, the great master Matsuo Bashō referred to his work as hokku. The term haiku was not popularized until the late 19th century by Masaoka Shiki.
In Japanese, the word 俳 in 俳句 originally referred to 'comic' or 'eccentric' poetry. This suggests that the origins of the form were more playful and less solemn than modern interpretations suggest.
The 俳句 evolved from a longer collaborative poem called renga. The 俳句 was originally just the opening verse, known as the hokku, which eventually became a standalone art form.

トムとメアリーは昼の間じゅう樫の木陰で俳句を詠み交わしていた。
Under the shadow of the oak tree, Tom and Mary recited haiku to each other all day long.
This sentence demonstrates the use of 俳句 when describing people reciting poems to each other.
Tatoeba #2268891 by tommy_san, translation #5020064 by jea310
この文は俳句の調べ持つ文よ。
This is a sentence that has the syllable count of a haiku.
This sentence shows how 俳句 can be used to describe the syllable count of a sentence.
Tatoeba #1104037 by mookeee, translation #589821 by CK
そういえば、電車の中で隣に座ったほろ酔いのおっさんに、自分の俳句を見て欲しいと言われたことがある。
Now that I think of it, I've been asked to look at a haiku he'd written by the tipsy bloke sitting next to me on the train.
This sentence provides an example of someone asking another person to look at their 俳句.
Tatoeba #74224 by fcbond, translation #329496 by fcbond
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Yui and Hiroto are talking about their Japanese class homework.

結衣 Yui

大翔くん、俳句の宿題はもう終わった？
Hiroto-kun, haiku no shukudai wa mou owatta?
Hiroto, have you already finished your haiku homework?
大翔 Hiroto

まだだよ。俳句を書き上げるのは難しいね。
Mada da yo. Haiku o kakiageru no wa muzukashii ne.
Not yet. Writing a haiku is difficult, isn't it?
結衣 Yui

一緒に考えようか。
Issho ni kangaeyou ka.
Shall we think about it together?
大翔 Hiroto

ありがとう、結衣さん！助かるよ。
Arigatou, Yui-san! Tasukaru yo.
Thanks, Yui! That helps a lot.

Sources

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