I’ve always been taught that haikus have 5-7-5 syllables, but what about in other languages that have a different sentence structure? Do they retain the 5-7-5 or are haikus different altogether?
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The main principle of haiku is the 5-7-5 structure so it’s mostly retained regardless of language.
I say “mostly” because there are no absolutes in the interpretation and some English haiku do no follow the 5-7-5 structure, and instead focuses on matching the essence of Japanese haiku (which usually shortens it to a 3-4-3).
In fact, traditional Japanese haiku does not necessarily follow the 5-7-5 either. I don’t know all the mannerisms but having excess syllables, particularly at the end of the third line is acceptable if it helps to add to the poem overall.
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