tanka

Definition of tankanext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tanka Each photo is combined with a tanka (a five-line, 31-syllable poem) written through the lens of a 10-year-old girl encountering the Jews for the first time, composed by poet Hiroko Yamagata. Josh Hasten, Sun Sentinel, 21 Sep. 2022 Her third and most critically acclaimed film, Forever a Woman (1955), is a tender, yearning portrait of a tanka poet with breast cancer and one of the first films anywhere to show a mastectomy. Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2022 His haiku and tanka translations influenced Pound, Rexroth, and others. Jonathan Dee, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tanka
Noun
  • Today, this is the basis of the Japanese sense of the seasons, which has also had a great influence on literature in Japan, especially with regard to haiku, the 17-syllable Japanese poem that has attained international popularity.
    Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
  • He was also known for his haikus and limericks, including some written to summarize ethics.
    Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The construction is the same -- three lines, 17 syllables, with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables on the third line -- but the tone and subject matter of a senryu is different.
    Mary Colurso | mcolurso@al.com, al, 19 Nov. 2020
  • The event is open to anyone interested in learning about the modern haiku, senryu and haibun types of poetry, focusing on contemporary free verse forms, not the familiar five-seven-five-syllable structure.
    Carole Goldberg, courant.com, 7 Aug. 2019
Noun
  • After all, no poet talks seriously about doing statistical regression on sonnets to find the optimal ones.
    Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Recently reissued by original label Rough Trade Records, Songs to Remember epitomizes the group’s attempt to reconcile an art-school background, 1977-era punk ethics, and an obsession with chart pop into a musical statement as stately and cohesive as a book of sonnets.
    Alfred Soto, Pitchfork, 11 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tanka.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tanka. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on tanka

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster