Today, let’s go through a haiku written by Yumi’s mother, 青木かよ子! Here it is:
啓蟄や
眠り足りない
児を起こす
[Literal]
The awakening of insects | cutting word
sleep | not enough
child | (direct object marker) | to awaken
[More Natural]
The awakening of insects,
Waking up a child
Who hasn't had enough sleep.
Vocabulary
So, combining these, the haiku connects the “waking up” of insects in spring (the season) to (attempting) to wake a sleeping young child who hasn’t slept enough.
If you are a parent, I think you can understand the meaning of this haiku very well.
This haiku came to her when working in the garden in early March. While digging she uncovered a slumbering frog. So, her original meaning for this poem was rousing the frog from its winter sleep too early, when it still needed more sleep.
However, haiku can mean different things to different people. What does this haiku mean to you?
What is the difference between 子 and 児?
Both 子 and 児 mean “child” but 子 is the most common kanji for “child.” 児 is used mainly in formal or legal contexts. It is often seen in compounds and legal terminology, such as in 児童 (meaning "children" or "juvenile"). In daily conversation, "子" is much more frequently used.
Here, Yumi’s mother not only chose 児 for a slightly more formal or poetic feel, but because that kanji is used with 乳児 (infant; suckling baby) and she wanted the image of a small child to come to mind.
俳句
Do you enjoy learning Japanese through haiku? Haiku is a great way to experience Japanese culture while also learning fun words.
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