tanka
noun
tanka is spelled T-A-N-K-A: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tanka means “A form of Japanese verse in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 morae” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tanka is tankas.
How many letters and syllables are in tanka?
| Letters | 5: T-A-N-K-A |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tanka?
Tanka appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
What rhymes with tanka?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tanka.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: natak, kanat.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tanka
- tankas plural
- taka
- tucka
- danjia
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tanka mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A form of Japanese verse in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 morae.
- 2
Alternative form of Tanka (“an ethnic group of boat people living in China”).
- 3
A kind of boat used in Guangdong, about 25 feet long and often rowed by Tanka women; junk.
- 4
A coin and unit of currency of varying value, formerly used in parts of India and Central Asia.
- 5
Alternative form of thangka (“Tibetan religious artwork”).
noun
- 1
A member of a group of people in southern China who traditionally live on junks.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tanka in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense member of a group of southern Chinese people who traditionally live on junks:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | Tanka |
| German | Tanka |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tanka come from?
From Japanese 短歌 (tanka, “short song”), from Middle Chinese 短 (MC twanX) 歌 (MC ka) (compare Mandarin 短歌 (duǎngē) duǎngē).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).