Senryū
/seɴ.ɾʲɯː/noun
A Japanese comic or satirical poem in a haiku-like 5–7–5 pattern, usually focusing on human behavior rather than nature.
Did you know?Senryū was named after Karai Senryū, an 18th-century Japanese poetry judge whose name used the characters for “river willow.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Sino-Japanese
川柳
“The characters literally mean “river willow”; their Sino-Japanese readings became senryū.”
18th Century
Japanese
柄井川柳 (Karai Senryū)
“The pen name of a Japanese poetry judge associated with humorous verse contests.”
1757
Japanese
川柳
“The name Senryū became associated with the comic verse selected by Karai Senryū in maekuzuke contests.”
1765
Japanese
誹風柳多留 (Haifū Yanagidaru)
“The first major anthology of these popular comic verses was published, helping establish the genre.”
20th Century
English
senryu / senryū
“English adopted the Japanese term for this haiku-like form centered on human nature, irony, and satire.”