Five The tanka is a 31-syllable poem that is customarily written in a single uninterrupted line. Tanka, a kind of waka (a Japanese song or verse), translates as "short song" and is best known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7 syllable count form. However, it can also be three-line or seven-line. Lines usually end with a full stop (period), but some poets include a caesura (natural break) within the line. A poet may also insert a word, phrase, or clause into the middle of a line as an embellishment. These insertions are called kozans. A tanka provides a concise overview of a particular subject. As such, it is similar to a sonnet or villanelle. Both forms consist of fourteen lines divided into two parts of seven lines each. However, whereas a sonnet or villanelle focuses on one central idea, a tanka conveys a broader message by linking different topics together.