Learn Japanese through Haiku - Chiyo-ni - Learn Japanese through Haiku

Enjoy and Fully Understand 25 haiku by 福田千代尼（ふくだ ちよに）Fukuda Chiyo-ni (1703–1775)

A morning glory winds around a well bucket. Rather than disturb the flowers, a woman goes next door to borrow water. That small act became one of Japan's most beloved haiku and captures something essential about Chiyo-ni.

Japan's most celebrated women haiku poet, Chiyo-ni had a gift for noticing what others walked past. A dandelion interrupts a butterfly's dream. Spring rain makes everything beautiful. Someone laughs at a person slipping in the snow—and promptly falls too. Her poems are gentle, observant, and sometimes quietly funny, with deeper feelings tucked into the simplest moments.

This book is designed to help beginner to intermediate students of Japanese learn vocabulary and grammar while uncovering the layers of meaning that translations alone can't capture.

The collection features twenty-five haiku, each presented with the original Japanese and furigana, multiple English translations ranging from literal to interpretive, and detailed vocabulary breakdowns with definitions and grammar notes. Every haiku also includes an explanation in both Japanese and English, seasonal word (季語) identification, and deeper analysis exploring its cultural, historical, and poetic context. QR codes provide convenient access to audio for listening practice.

What You'll Get:

Read and understand twenty-five of Chiyo-ni's haiku, from her famous morning glory poem to reflections on dreams, kindness, solitude, and the passing seasons. Multiple translations per haiku so you can see how different renderings bring out different shades of meaning. Detailed vocabulary breakdowns and explanations of key grammar points, classical forms, and historical spellings. Cultural and literary context, including seasonal references, poetic imagery, and ideas that aren't immediately obvious in translation. Explanations in both Japanese and English, with vocabulary support so the commentary becomes reading practice too. Audio access through QR codes to help you connect the written Japanese with its sound.

Digital Extras:

Your book includes an unlock code that gives you immediate access to all sound files as a download—no signup or email required.

Want even more? Enter your email on the same page to set up a free Makoto+ account, with no credit card required, and unlock this book's content in Sentence Explorer. Read, listen, quiz yourself, and study the words and sentences interactively—on the web and in our free mobile app, Makoto Japanese Explorer. You'll also receive our newsletter with free Japanese lessons.

About the Poet:

福田千代尼 (1703–1775), also known as Kaga no Chiyo and Chiyo-jo, grew up in a scroll-mounter's household in what is now Ishikawa Prefecture. She began writing haiku as a girl and earned recognition in a literary world dominated by men. Later, she became a Buddhist nun and continued composing poetry. Her work finds wonder in ordinary things: water cupped in the hands, dewdrops on a hydrangea, a butterfly moving its wings. These twenty-five poems invite you to slow down, look closely, and discover how much a few Japanese words can hold.

Ready to build your Japanese while discovering the small wonders in Chiyo-ni's world? Add it to your cart now!