Renga vs. Haiku — What's the Difference?

Collaborative poem.

Three-line poem.

Linked verse.

17-syllable structure.

Multi-author creation.

Seasonal reference.

Long-form poetry.

Momentary capture.

Shift and link.

Nature focus.

Renga (連歌, linked verse) is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry in which alternating stanzas, or ku (句), of 5-7-5 and 7-7 mora (sound units, not to be confused with syllables) per line are linked in succession by multiple poets. Known as tsukuba no michi (筑波の道 The Way of Tsukuba) after the famous Tsukuba Mountain in the Kantō region, the form of poetry is said to have originated in a two-verse poetry exchange by Yamato Takeru and later gave birth to the genres haikai (俳諧) and haiku (俳句).The genre was elevated to a literary art by Nijō Yoshimoto (二条良基, 1320–1388), who compiled the first imperial renga anthology Tsukubashū (菟玖波集) in 1356.

Haiku (俳句, listen ) is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a kireji, or "cutting word", 17 on (a type of Japanese phoneme) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a kigo, or seasonal reference.

A form of Japanese verse in which short poems are connected together. Encompasses haikai, the origination point for haiku.

A Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five morae, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons.

A verse form in another language modeled on the Japanese haiku, typically counting syllables instead of morae.

A poem written in this form.

A Japanese poem in three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.

A three-line poem in any language, with five syllables in the first and last lines and seven syllables in the second, usually with an emphasis on the season or a naturalistic theme.

An epigrammatic Japanese verse form of three short lines

Unlike Haiku, Renga does not have fixed syllable requirements for each stanza.

Renga is a collaborative, linked-verse poetry form, while Haiku is a solitary, three-line poem focusing on nature.

Typically, two or more poets collaborate to write a Renga.

Haiku traditionally explores themes related to nature, seasons, and the interaction between nature and humanity.

While originating in Japan, Haiku has become a popular poetic form globally.

The 5-7-5 structure in Haiku aims to provide a rhythmic and concise form to convey deep observations succinctly.

Yes, while traditional Renga often focuses on nature and seasons, modern Renga can explore a wide range of contemporary themes.

Yes, a Haiku can serve as the opening stanza (hokku) of a Renga.

A Renga can be quite long, often consisting of 100 or more stanzas.

Traditionally, yes, but modern Haiku sometimes strays from this rule.