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Kyoka

Genre
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

A comic, satirical, or humorous version of the Tanka form, maintaining the 5-7-5-7-7 structure but focusing on human folly.

Detailed Definition
Kyoka is a Japanese “mad verse” form that parodies or subverts the solemnity of traditional waka through humor, satire, and irreverent themes; composed in 5-7-5-7-7 syllables like tanka but focused on the absurd, grotesque, or mundane, it provides a carnivalesque counterpoint to courtly decorum, celebrating poetic freedom and social critique through playful formal mimicry.
Example
Example in poetry:
Japanese kyoka (mad verse) like those by Yosa Buson parody classical waka with humor: “My wife’s cooking / so bad, even the cat / files for divorce”; Contemporary poet Michael Dylan Welch writes kyoka: “Tax day again— / my wallet’s lighter than / my conscience”; Edo-period kyoka mocked samurai pretensions through bawdy wit; Modern kyoka by Ueda Akinari blend satire and seasonal reference; English-language kyoka by Jane Reichhold: “Wi-Fi down again— / my soul drifts into the void / of no connection”; Kyoka in “Man’yōshū” used rustic diction to subvert courtly norms.
Additional Notes
Japanese satirical or humorous tanka. Parodies serious waka forms. Playful subversion of conventions. Related to mad verse and comic poetry. Compare with serious tanka for contrast.
Also Known As
Mad poem Crazy verse Japanese parody Comic tanka
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