俳 means “haiku, actor”

はい · hai

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ハイ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 6 · 10 strokes

The story

A person (亻) who is not (非) what they seem: an actor or a jester, the old sense of 俳. A 俳優 is an actor, and 俳諧, playful comic verse, gave Japan the 俳句, haiku, while a 俳人 is a haiku poet.

Used in 俳優 (haiyuu, actor), 俳句 (haiku, haiku), and 俳人 (haijin, haiku poet)

More from Poems & Songs

• 句 phrase
• 朗 clear
• 謡 song
• 琴 koto
• 墨 ink
• 譜 musical score
• 叙 narrate
• 吟 chant
• 詠 compose (a poem)
• 唄 song
• 韻 rhyme
• 喩 metaphor

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.