hokku

[ haw-koo, hok-oo ]

/ ˈhɔ ku, ˈhɒk u /

Save This Word!

noun, plural hok·ku.Prosody.

the opening verse of a linked verse series.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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, Hokinson, Hokkaido, Hokkaido wolf, hokku, hokonui, hokum, Hokusai, hol-, hola

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hokku in a sentence

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
He reformed the hokku, by introducing into everything he wrote a deep spiritual significance underlying the words.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher
The concluding hemistich, whereby the hokku becomes the tanka, is existent in the writer's mind, but never uttered.
Japanese Prints|John Gould Fletcher
The reader can now see for himself what the main object of the hokku poetry is, and what it achieved.
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