On (音) is a Japanese word corresponding to a sound; onji（音字）corresponds to "sound symbol".
On (or onji) are the phonetic units that are counted in Japanese haiku, and in linguistics are called morae. The word moji (文字, character symbol) is also sometimes used, as is haku (拍).
In counting the beats in haiku, on is often translated into the more familiar English word syllable, although an English syllable may in fact consist of more than one on.
In the essay "Stalking the Wild Onji", Richard Gilbert notes that although often used in English-language discussion of Japanese poetry, the word onji is an archaic term not commonly used in modern Japanese. He notes that the modern Japanese term would be hyōon moji (表音文字), "phonetic symbol".
External links
- Stalking the Wild Onji (also available in pdf form at worldhaiku.net). Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- Definitions of haiku and related words from Haiku Society of America
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