✍️ Text & Writing

Japanese Mora Counter

Count morae in hiragana and katakana. Split lines with line breaks to see the morae per line and check haiku 5-7-5 or tanka 5-7-5-7-7. Everything stays in your browser.

0
Morae count

How to use

Type text and the morae count updates. Enter multiple lines to see the morae per line and whether they match 5-7-5 (haiku) or 5-7-5-7-7 (tanka). Kanji is not counted, so enter readings in kana when you need the exact count.

What is a mora?

A mora (拍, also called on) is the unit of sound that Japanese rhythm is built on — close to, but not the same as, an English syllable. Each kana is one mora, and a long vowel mark (ー), the small っ and ん each add one of their own. Japanese verse is counted in morae rather than syllables or letters, which is why a haiku is 5-7-5 and a tanka is 5-7-5-7-7. Counting morae is how you check whether a line of poetry, lyrics or ad copy lands on the right number of beats.

Examples

  • ありがとう → 5 morae
  • きゃ → 1 mora (a small kana joins the preceding kana)
  • がっこう → 4 morae (the small っ and the long う each count as one)
  • ふるいけや / かわずとびこむ / みずのおと → 5 / 7 / 5 → matches haiku (5-7-5) ✓
  • Lines of 5, 7, 6 → off by one from 5-7-5 → no match (you see which line to fix)

FAQ

Is my data sent to a server?
No. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is transmitted or stored externally.
How are long vowels, っ and kanji handled?
Long marks (ー), っ and ん each count as one mora. Kanji is not converted to readings and is not counted; only hiragana and katakana are counted.
How many morae is きゃ?
A small kana (ゃゅょ) joins the preceding kana into one mora. きゃ, しゅ and ちょ each count as a single mora.
Can it check haiku 5-7-5?
Yes. Split lines with line breaks to see the morae per line and whether they match 5-7-5 (haiku) or 5-7-5-7-7 (tanka). Kanji is not counted, so enter readings in kana for accuracy.