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Hokku

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The opening stanza of a renga, later evolved into standalone haiku

Detailed Definition
Hokku is the opening stanza of a traditional Japanese renga (linked verse) sequence, functioning as a standalone nature-focused poem that later evolved into the modern haiku; it typically includes a seasonal reference (kigo) and a cutting word (kireji) to juxtapose two images or perceptions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hokku: The opening stanza of a renga, later evolving into haiku: “Old pond— / a frog jumps in, / sound of water.” — Bashō’s famous hokku capturing a moment in nature.
Additional Notes
Japanese term for opening verse of renga. Three lines (5-7-5) becoming standalone haiku later. Related: haiku, renga. Study: hokku vs. haiku distinction—historical development.
Also Known As
opening verse haiku precursor
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