tanka

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈtɑːŋkə/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(täng′kə)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
tan•ka  (täng′kə),USA pronunciation n., pl. -kas, -ka. [Pros.]
  1. Poetrya Japanese poem consisting of 31 syllables in 5 lines, with 5 syllables in the first and third lines and 7 in the others.
  • Middle Chinese, equivalent. to Chinese duǎn short + gē song; compare renga
  • Japanese
  • 1915–20

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
tanka / ˈtɑːŋkə/ ( -kas, -ka)
  1. a Japanese verse form consisting of five lines, the first and third having five syllables, the others seven
Etymology: 19th Century: from Japanese, from tan short + ka verse
'tanka' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
waka

Forum discussions with the word(s) "tanka" in the title:


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