1. the opening stanza of a renga, consisting of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable pattern
Usage: literary; Japanese poetry
2. an early form of haiku poetry
Usage: literary; historical

Examples

• The poet composed a beautiful hokku to begin the collaborative renga.
• Traditional hokku followed the strict 5-7-5 syllable structure.
• Many famous haiku were originally written as independent hokku.
• The hokku set the seasonal theme for the entire renga sequence.
• Students learned to write hokku before attempting longer poetic forms.
• The master’s hokku captured the essence of spring in just seventeen syllables.