About Haiku Counter

Check a poem fits the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Fun / Niche collection.

Use Cases

• Verifying syllable counts when composing haiku for creative projects
• Checking haiku submissions for a poetry contest or writing class
• Testing syllable-counting algorithms against known haiku patterns
• Writing commit message haiku for fun developer culture

Tips

• Enter three lines to verify the 5-7-5 syllable pattern
• The counter highlights which lines exceed or fall short
• Try different word choices until each line matches perfectly

Fun Facts

• The 5-7-5 syllable structure of haiku was established by the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho in the 17th century, though the form evolved from earlier renga poetry.
• In Japanese, haiku counts 'morae' (sound units) rather than syllables — a distinction that makes English 5-7-5 haiku slightly longer than Japanese originals.
• The shortest poem accepted as a haiku in English is a single word by Cor van den Heuvel: 'tundra' — though it breaks the traditional 5-7-5 form.

FAQ

How does it count syllables?

Same heuristic as Syllable Counter — English-only, based on vowel groupings and silent-e rules. ~90% accuracy.

What's a haiku pattern?

Traditional Japanese: 5-7-5 syllables across three lines. English adaptations use the same pattern even though Japanese 'on' (sound units) aren't quite syllables.

Does it check for seasonal words (kigo)?

No — the tool is syllable-count only. Classical haiku requires a kigo (seasonal reference) and cutting word (kireji); those are judged by humans.

What if my haiku is in another language?

The syllable counter is English-tuned. Japanese haiku should be counted by on (morae), which is a different algorithm.