俳句
はいく · haiku · JLPT N2 · noun
poetry
🌸 俳 = playful + 句 = verse line: a short three-line poem with 5-7-5 sound units
The 俳 comes from 俳諧 (haikai), playful linked verse, which gave the form its name. Count 5, 7, then 5 sound units, often with one seasonal word.
句 — 勹 (wrap) + 口 (mouth/enclosure)
Originally a pictograph showing a hook or curve enclosing something, depicting a bend or turn. The form combines 勹 (wrap) around 口, suggesting words bound together. It later came to mean a complete sentence or phrase, the basic unit of bounded speech.