Key takeaways
A haiku is a very short poem, traditionally three lines, that captures a single moment, often from nature, with a seasonal feel and a small pause or turn.
The 5-7-5 syllable pattern is the usual English guide, but Japanese haiku count sound units, not syllables, and many modern English haiku break the pattern on purpose.
This page has 30 original haiku in the classic 5-7-5 shape, grouped by spring, summer, autumn, winter and everyday life.
To write one, pick a moment, choose two concrete images, juxtapose them, and cut every word that does not earn its place.
Haiku looks easy: three short lines, a few words, done. That is exactly why it is hard. In so little space, every word has to carry weight.
This guide explains what a haiku really is, tells the truth about the 5-7-5 rule, gives you 30 original examples by season and theme, and walks you through a five-step method for writing your own. All poems here were written for this page.
What Is a Haiku?
A haiku is a short poem that captures a single moment, usually with an image from nature. The Academy of American Poets describes the traditional Japanese form as a three-line poem of seventeen syllables, arranged 5-7-5, and notes that in Japanese there is typically a pause at the end of the first or second line and a "season word," or kigo, that places the poem in a time of year. Read the Academy's overview of the haiku form and the Poetry Foundation's entry on haiku for more on the history, which begins in Japan with the opening verse of a longer linked poem and was mastered by poets such as Matsuo Basho.
The features that matter most are the ones that survive translation:
- A single moment, not a story or an argument.
- Concrete images, things you can see, hear or touch.
- A pause or a turn, where the poem shifts, so two images meet.
- A sense of season or time.
- Brevity, small enough to read in one breath.
The Truth About 5-7-5
You will hear that a haiku is 5-7-5 syllables. That is the English-language convention, and it is a good starting point. But there are two honest caveats:
- Japanese counts sounds, not syllables. The Academy of American Poets explains that the Japanese unit is a mora, a measure of sound, which does not match the English syllable, so the 17-unit count does not translate exactly into 17 English syllables.
- Many modern English haiku break the pattern. Poets often write shorter poems, and the same sources note that rules such as 5-7-5 have been routinely broken, while the spirit of the form lives on: a brief moment, vivid images and a sudden sense of recognition.
So: 5-7-5 is a useful shape, especially for learning and for classroom assignments, and not an unbreakable law. All 30 examples below follow 5-7-5, because that is what most people are looking for.
30 Haiku Examples
Each is an original poem. Read them aloud and notice where the pause falls.
Spring
1.
Snow melts from the roof
Drip, drip, a clear tune begins
The garden wakes up
2.
Rain on new green leaves
the smell of earth rises slow
a robin sings once
3.
Plum blossoms open
petals drift across the stream
spring has just arrived
4.
First warm afternoon
windows open to the street
laughter drifts inside
5.
Mud on both my boots
a puddle holds the whole sky
I step through the clouds
6.
Tulips push through soil
small fists of color rising
winter lets them go
7.
Kites above the park
strings pulled tight by playful wind
a child laughs aloud
8.
Bird song before dawn
the window glass turns to gray
morning finds its voice
Summer
9.
Long light on the lake
a dragonfly stitches air
the day will not end
10.
Ice cream on my hand
melting faster than I eat
sticky summer joy
11.
Cicadas hum loud
heat shimmers above the road
shade is a small gift
12.
Barefoot on warm sand
waves erase my footprints twice
salt dries on my skin
13.
Thunder in the hills
the porch light calls out the moths
we count the seconds
14.
Lemonade stand sign
a quarter clinks in the jar
small hands count the change
Autumn
15.
Red leaf, then a gold
the maple lets go slowly
wind finishes it
16.
Morning frost on grass
my breath makes a small white cloud
coffee warms my hands
17.
Pumpkins on the porch
a candle waits for the dark
small ghosts at the door
18.
Geese cross the gray sky
a long line writing goodbye
the field is silent
19.
Rake in my cold hands
leaves pile up like brown rivers
a dog leaps right in
20.
Harvest moon rising
orange over quiet fields
the night smells of smoke
Winter
21.
Snow falls without sound
the street forgets its own name
one set of footprints
22.
Frost on the window
ferns of ice grow while I sleep
morning draws them thin
23.
Wool scarf, wool gloves, wool
still the cold finds a small gap
hot soup waits at home
24.
Bare branches hold snow
a cardinal, red as sparks
the whole yard is hushed
25.
Long night, short pale day
the kettle sings to the dark
lamplight on a book
26.
Ice on the pond cracks
a sound like a closing door
spring is listening
Everyday life
27.
City after rain
neon smeared across the street
umbrellas drift by
28.
A letter arrives
my name in your slanted hand
the whole day grows bright
29.
Old dog by the door
waiting for a car I know
his tail starts to thump
30.
Empty classroom hums
chalk dust floats in slanted light
answers wait on desks
How to Write a Haiku in Five Steps
- Pick a moment. Something you noticed today: rain on a window, a bus pulling away, the first coffee. Haiku live in the specific.
- Choose two images. One is the main scene and the other is its partner, such as "frost on the window" and "ferns of ice grow while I sleep."
- Place the pause. Decide where the poem turns, usually after line 1 or line 2, so the images meet.
- Draft in plain words. Write it loosely first. Then count syllables if you want the 5-7-5 shape.
- Cut and sharpen. Remove adjectives that do not earn their place. Replace general words with concrete ones: "bird" becomes "robin," "tree" becomes "maple."
Tips for Better Haiku
- Show, do not tell. Skip "I feel sad." Show the empty chair.
- Use the present tense, which keeps the moment alive.
- Avoid rhyme. Traditional haiku do not rhyme, and rhyme can make them sound like a nursery verse.
- Do not explain. Trust the reader to connect the images.
- Watch the syllable count carefully. Words like "fire," "flower" and "poem" can be one or two syllables depending on how you say them, so read aloud.
- Write many. Most poets write dozens to get one they like.
Common Mistakes
- Treating 5-7-5 as the whole job. Seventeen syllables of clichés is not a haiku.
- Padding with filler words to hit the count.
- Abstract ideas such as "love" or "freedom" with no image.
- Two unrelated images with no connection.
- A moral at the end.
Haiku Prompts to Try
- A sound you hear from your window.
- The first thing you notice on your way home.
- A season word: pick one and write two images that fit it.
- Something small that changes in a moment: a shadow, a light, a step.
- A meal, from the first look to the last bite.
Get Help Writing Yours
If you want to see more options, the free haiku generator can produce drafts from a topic, and the poem generator covers other forms. The rhyme generator is useful for forms that do use rhyme, which haiku does not. All of these are free to use. Treat what they give you as a starting point, count the syllables yourself, and make it your own. For other forms, see our guides to acrostic poems, limericks and free verse poetry, and our journal prompts for ideas.
What This Guide Cannot Do
Haiku is a living tradition with many schools, and poets disagree about its rules. This guide describes the widely taught English convention and the traditional Japanese form as described by the Academy of American Poets, and does not cover every variation, such as senryu, haibun or free-form haiku. Syllable counts depend on pronunciation, so a count that works for one reader may not for another.
