tanka

n.
A Japanese verse form in five lines, the first and third composed of five syllables and the rest of seven.

[Japanese.]

tan·ka²
n.
A Tibetan religious painting on fabric, usually portraying the Buddha or lamas in stereotyped aspects.

[Tibetan thanka, something rolled up.]

tanka, a traditional form of Japanese lyric poem consisting of 31 syllables arranged in lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 syllables. It has had fewer Western imitators than the haiku.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a form of Japanese poetry; the 1st and 3rd lines have five syllables and the 2nd, 4th, and 5th have seven syllables

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