Follow Us on
Type of Japanese poem (5) Crossword Clue
Answer: TANKA (5 letters)
The answer to the crossword clue "Type of Japanese poem" with 5 letters is "TANKA".Tanka is a traditional form of Japanese poetry consisting of five lines with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern. It is one of the oldest forms of Japanese poetry, known for expressing deep emotions, nature, and personal reflections in a concise and structured format.
Why “Tanka” Fits
The clue asks for a noun (5) meaning “type of Japanese poem.” The answer, TANKA, fits exactly: a tanka is a classical Japanese poetic form with a fixed syllabic pattern, so it is literally a type of Japanese poem.
Traditionally, a tanka consists of five lines with a 5–7–5–7–7 syllable structure, making it a close relative and predecessor of the better-known haiku.
A Bit of Background
Tanka poetry has been written in Japan for over a thousand years and was a dominant literary form in early Japanese court culture.
The name itself means “short poem,” and the form is used to express personal emotion, observations of nature, and reflections in a compact, lyrical way.
Crossword Solving Insight
In quick crosswords, clues like “Type of Japanese poem (5)” typically point either to HAIKU (5) or TANKA (5).
The wording “type of Japanese poem” without mentioning three lines or seventeen syllables often signals TANKA as the more specific, slightly less obvious choice, and its five letters match the (5) enumeration perfectly, making it the intended solution.
