What is a Tanka Poem?

A tanka poem is a Japanese poem which can also be known as a waka or uta. A tanka poem is similar to a haiku but has two additional lines.

What is the Structure of a Tanka Poem?

A tanka consists of 5 lines and 31 syllables.

Each line has a set number of syllables see below:

Line 1 – 5 syllables
Line 2 – 7 syllables
Line 3 – 5 syllables
Line 4 – 7 syllables
Line 5 – 7 syllables

An Example of a Tanka Poem

Why don't you try writing a tanka poem and enter it into one of our poetry competitions.

For information on poetry types other than a tanka visit our poetry glossary – poetry types.