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Zappai

Form of Japanese poetry rooted in haikai

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
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Source updated July 27, 2026

Zappai (雑俳) is a form of Japanese poetry rooted in haikai. It is related to, but separate from, haiku and senryū. Lee Gurga defines zappai as a form of poetry that "includes all types of seventeen syllable poems that do not have the proper formal or technical characteristics of haiku." The Haiku Society of America mentioned zappai while defining similar forms though their comments were later rebutted by Richard Gilbert and Shinjuku Rollingstone.

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Zappai”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

Haiku

Haiku] ) is a type of short-form poetry that originated in Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases composed of 17 morae (called on in Japanese) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern that include a kireji or "cutting word" and a kigo or seasonal reference.

Senryū

Senryū is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 morae (or on, often translated as syllables, but see the article on onji for distinctions). Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious.