hokku

[ haw-koo, hok-oo ]

/ ˈhɔ ku, ˈhɒk u /

noun, plural hok·ku. Prosody.

the opening verse of a linked verse series.

QUIZZES

TAKE THIS QUIZ TO SEE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL PUNCTUATION!

Commas mark divisions in sentences. Periods end declarative sentences. Apostrophes show possession. Easy, right? Well, punctuation can get pretty tricky—fast. Think you got what it takes to be a punctuation expert? Take our quiz to prove it!

Question 1 of 10

Which of the options below is the best punctuation for the sentence? It__s your turn to pick the movie __ but your sister gets to pick the board game we _ re going to play.

Its your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie but your sister gets to pick the board game were going to play.

It’s your turn to pick the movie, but your sister gets to pick the board game we’re going to play.

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Origin of hokku

1895–1900; < Japanese, equivalent to hok opening, first + ku stanza; earlier fot-ku < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese fá depart + jù phrase

Words nearby hokku

hokey-pokey, hoki, hokiang, hokinson, hokkaido, hokku, hokonui, hokum, hokusai, hol hamoed, hol-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for hokku

The most attenuated form of all is the hokku (or haikai) which consists of only three lines, namely, 17 syllables.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 2|Various
The concluding hemistich, whereby the hokku becomes the tanka, is existent in the writer's mind, but never uttered.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher
He reformed the hokku, by introducing into everything he wrote a deep spiritual significance underlying the words.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher
It must always be understood that there is an implied continuation to every Japanese hokku.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher

That is not to say, that, by taking the letter for the spirit, we should in any way strive to imitate the hokku form.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher

British Dictionary definitions for hokku

hokku

/ (ˈhɒkuː) /

noun plural -ku

prosody another word for haiku

Word Origin for hokku

from Japanese, from hok beginning + ku hemistich

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012