Haiga
/ˈhaɪɡə/noun
A Japanese painting, often accompanied by calligraphy and a haiku or related verse.
Did you know?Haiga traditionally combines deliberately spare ink painting with calligraphy, reflecting the Zen-influenced aesthetic of simplicity and suggestion rather than elaborate depiction.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
畫 (huà)
“Painting or picture; the source of Japanese ga through Sino-Japanese borrowing.”
Ancient Japan
Japanese
ga (画)
“Painting, picture, or drawing.”
Medieval Japan
Japanese
haikai (俳諧)
“A playful or unconventional linked-verse tradition that later became associated with haiku culture.”
17th Century
Japanese
haiga (俳画)
“A painting associated with haikai verse, especially spare ink imagery paired with calligraphy.”
20th Century
Japanese → English
haiga
“A Japanese art term adopted into English for the fusion of verse, calligraphy, and painting.”