和歌

• 読み: わか
• ローマ字: waka
• 漢字の分解: 和 (wa) — Japan, Japanese, harmony; 歌 (ka/uta) — song, poem, verse
• 発音: /wa.ka/

意味

Waka; traditional Japanese poetry, particularly the tanka form with a 5-7-5-7-7 syllable structure. The classical poetic tradition of Japan as distinguished from Chinese verse.

和歌 (literally Japanese song/poem) is the overarching term for classical Japanese poetry, particularly the 31-mora tanka form. The imperial anthologies 万葉集 (Manyoshu, 7th–8th century) and 古今和歌集 (Kokinshu, 905 CE) are its foundational texts. 和歌 distinguishes native Japanese poetry from 漢詩 (kanshi, Chinese-style poetry). Composing waka was an essential accomplishment for Heian court nobles. The term encompasses choka, sedoka, and other classical forms alongside tanka.

例文

1. 百人一首には平安時代から鎌倉時代にかけての優れた和歌が百首選ばれている。
2. 和歌には季節の移ろいや恋愛の機微を詠んだものが多い。
3. 古今和歌集は和歌の歴史において最も重要な勅撰集の一つとされている。

使い方ガイド

場面: classical literature, poetry, cultural heritage, education

トーン: literary, cultural

起源と歴史

Native Japanese compound: 和 (wa) meaning Japanese or harmonious, referring to Japan itself; 歌 (ka/uta) meaning song or poem. The term directly distinguishes native Japanese poetry from Chinese verse (漢詩/kanshi), asserting its own literary identity.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient-Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal