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The Haiku and Haikai Quiz

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Know your haiku from your limerick? Your tanka from your sonnet? The quiz is about Japanese haiku and haikai since Basho‘s time. Give it a go!

  • Question of

    Which verse-form evolved into the modern haiku?

    • hokku
    • haikai
    • waka
    • tanka
  • Question of

    The four haiku ‘masters’ are usually said to be Basho, Issa, Shiki and who?

    • Boncho
    • Chiyo-ni
    • Buson
    • Kikaku
  • Question of

    Which verse form is similar to haiku but focuses on human foibles?

    • haikai
    • tanku
    • maeku
    • senryu
  • Question of

    Basho’s favoured poetic form was

    • choka
    • waka
    • tanka
    • haikai-no-renga
  • Question of

    The final ‘side’ of a renga is known as…

    • jo
    • kyu
    • ha
    • hya
  • Question of

    What is the term for a work combining a haiku with a painting or drawing?

    • haikai
    • haibun
    • haiga
    • wakiku
  • Question of

    In renku, what does ‘tsukeku’ mean?

    • the current verse
    • the first verse of the side
    • the previous-but-one verse
    • the preceding verse
  • Question of

    The word ‘hana’ means ‘flower,’ but in Japanese poetry, unless it is qualified, it means…

    • plum blossom
    • roses
    • rape flowers
    • cherry blossom
  • Question of

    What is the term for a word or phrase indicating a specific season?

    • kireji
    • tsuki
    • kigo
    • ya
  • Question of

    One of the most common ‘cutting words’ occurs at the end of a haiku or hokku. It is…

    • ya
    • ka
    • kana
    • onji
  • Question of

    The mention of a moon, unless qualified, indicates what season?

    • spring
    • summer
    • autumn
    • winter
    • new year
  • Question of

    What is a saijiki?

    • a classical renga master
    • a book of season words with sample poems
    • a place traditionally associated with poetry
    • a walk during which one composes poetry
  • Question of

    What is the term for a 36-verse renku?

    • hyakuin
    • junicho
    • nijuin
    • kasen
  • Question of

    Whose most famous verse begins, ‘furuike ya’?

    • Shiki
    • Basho
    • Buson
    • Kyoshi

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Written by Norman Darlo

20 Comments

  4. I have to skip the quiz part since I don’t know anything about haiku. Many of my friends wrote haiku, but it is just not clicked with me.
    (Sorry for the late visit, my mom was in the hospital since Thursday night!)

  6. It took a day to even take this one, I kept passing it on. These are so not my strong point. I got 6 out of 14. Most were guesses. I thought Haiku was a kind of sauce. haha. Oh and #8 Rape flower, very violent flowers huh? lol Grape it what I think you meant, but who knows. One of the great typos ever, and fun quiz.