What Is a Tanka?
A tanka is a five-line Japanese poem in a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. Older than haiku by a thousand years, it is the more personal of the two forms: where haiku observes, tanka confesses. This page defines the form, explains its structure, compares it with haiku, and shows famous-style examples. For the head-to-head, read haiku vs tanka.
Reviewed for accuracy · Last updated October 17, 2026
Tanka Definition
Tanka (short song) is a classical Japanese poetic form of five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern, 31 syllables in total. It dates back over thirteen centuries to Japan's earliest poetry anthologies, making it far older than haiku. Traditionally it treats personal subjects, love, longing, grief, memory, in plain, musical language. If haiku is a photograph, tanka is a photograph with a caption written by the heart.
The 5-7-5-7-7 Structure
The five lines divide into two functional parts:
- Lines 1-3 (5-7-5): the kami-no-ku, or upper phrase. This presents an image or scene, exactly as a haiku would.
- Lines 4-5 (7-7): the shimo-no-ku, or lower phrase. This turns inward: a feeling, a memory, a reflection on the image above.
The poem's energy lives in the pivot between line three and line four. A strong tanka makes that turn feel inevitable; a weak one just keeps describing. Count your lines with our syllable counter, and follow the method in our tanka checker guide.
Tanka vs Haiku
The quick version: haiku is three lines, outward-looking, built on a cut between two images. Tanka is five lines, inward-looking, built on a turn from image to feeling. Haiku hides the poet; tanka lets the poet speak. A haiku says "here is a moment." A tanka says "here is a moment, and here is what it did to me." Our full haiku vs tanka comparison has the side-by-side table and paired examples.
Famous Tanka Examples
The most famous tanka in Japanese history come from the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each), compiled in the 1200s. Here are two in that spirit, rendered plainly, plus an original example showing the turn:
even the color of the autumn leaves fades at last: this drifting world teaches the same lesson
Image in the upper phrase (fading leaves), reflection in the lower (impermanence). The turn does the philosophical work.
night train window: my face, then the dark fields rushing past I count the lit farmhouses and stop missing you at nine
Original example. The first three lines could stand alone; the last two convert observation into memory, which is the tanka's signature move.
Compare these with the form's shorter sibling in our what is a haiku guide.
Check Your Tanka
Verify the pattern before you share the poem:
- Count each line separately against 5-7-5-7-7. Our syllable counter handles each line.
- Check the turn: do lines 4-5 respond to lines 1-3, or just continue describing? If they only describe, rewrite them inward.
- Read it aloud. Tanka should feel musical; the 7-7 close has a natural settling rhythm.
A dedicated five-line tanka checker is in development. Until it launches, the haiku checker covers your opening 5-7-5.
Frequently asked questions
How many syllables are in a tanka?
31 in the classic pattern: 5-7-5-7-7 across five lines.
What is the difference between tanka and haiku?
Length, tone, and structure: tanka is longer, more personal, and turns inward after its opening image, while haiku stays with the observed moment. See haiku vs tanka for the full comparison.
Is tanka harder than haiku?
Most beginners find it easier, because the extra two lines give room to explain. Haiku's difficulty is all in its brevity.
Do tanka need seasonal words?
No. Kigo belongs to the haiku tradition; tanka is older than that system and centers on human feeling.
Can tanka rhyme?
Traditionally no. Like haiku, it relies on image and rhythm, not rhyme.