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A haiku is a type of short poem that originated in Japan hundreds of years ago. Haikus were often written about nature or the seasons of the year.

 

Haikus are really just one sentence, divided into three lines, and they have a fixed number of syllables. The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and the third line has five syllables.

 

This haiku has been translated into English from Japanese. It was written by one of the earliest haiku poets, Matsuo Basho, who lived in the seventeenth century. Try clapping the syllables as you read it.

 

Frosty leaves

Taken in my hand,

It will vanish in hot tears -

The frost of autumn.

 

In this worksheet you can read some haiku poems and answer questions about them.

10 questions