hokku

[ haw-koo, hok-oo ]

noun

, Prosody.

, plural hok·ku.

1. the opening verse of a linked verse series.
2. haiku.

hokku

/ ˈhɒkuː /

noun

1. prosody another word for haiku

Word History and Origins

Origin of hokku¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; from Japanese, from hok “departure, start” (akin to Cantonese faat, Korean bal, Mandarin fā ) + ku “phrase, stanza” (akin to Cantonese geoi, Korean gu, Mandarin jù )

Word History and Origins

Origin of hokku¹

from Japanese, from hok beginning + ku hemistich

Example Sentences

Other nations have had different ones: Anglo-Saxon poetry was founded upon alliteration, Greek and Roman was built upon quantity, the Oriental was formed out of repetition, and the Japanese Hokku got its effects by an exact and never-to-be-added-to series of single syllables.

From Project Gutenberg

Afterwards, by the addition of the hokku, an abbreviation of the already brief renga and haikai, which adapted itself to the capacities of anyone possessing a nimble wit or a sparkling thought, without any preparation of literary study, the range of poetry was still further extended.

From Project Gutenberg

Matsuo Basho Was the father of the haikai and the hokku, and his mantle descended upon Kikaku, Ransetsu, Kyoriku, and other celebrities.

From Project Gutenberg

Composing hokku might, however, have remained a mere game of elaborate literary conceits and double meanings, but for the genius of one man.

From Project Gutenberg

During a life of extreme and voluntary self-denial and wandering, Bashō contrived to obtain over a thousand disciples, and to found a school of hokku writing which has persisted down to the present day.

From Project Gutenberg