When it comes to goldfish, many people probably think of goldfish scooping at summer festivals or a cool, refreshing aquarium.
As familiar as they are, goldfish have in fact long been a beloved subject for senryu.
Set the everyday moments related to goldfish—their fluttering swim, their adorable expressions, the casual interactions with their owners—to the 5-7-5 rhythm, and you get works that make you chuckle or quietly nod in sympathy.
In this article, we introduce the world of senryu that celebrate goldfish.
Savor the fun of wordplay and see if you can find a favorite verse!
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Haiku about goldfish. A collection of works filled with love for goldfish (1–10)
A cat watching goldfish swim and swayNEW!
This is a gentle verse that softly captures a quiet, heartwarming everyday moment.
Picture a cat staring intently at goldfish swaying as they swim in a tank, and you can feel a calm in which time seems to flow slowly.
The goldfish glide freely, while the cat, captivated by their motion, twitches its tail and whiskers—almost like a little drama, isn’t it? Like a cat at the window gazing at birds outside, the act of watching itself is a pleasure, naturally brimming with affection and curiosity.
It’s a verse that humorously and warmly conveys the everyday cuteness woven by two small lives: the goldfish and the cat.
Knowing life—the morning I bury the goldfish from the night stallNEW!
This is a verse that captures a gently bittersweet, profound moment in which we learn the preciousness of life.
The goldfish happily scooped at a night stall lose their breath by the next morning, and we quietly bury them in the soil—an everyday, small farewell as its theme.
It’s like the moment a child who has lost a pet first realizes that life is precious and does not last forever.
The joy of the festival and the fragility of life are depicted together, conveying quiet emotion and learning rather than laughter.
It shows that even a life in a small tank can become a profound experience for a child.
Cool of the evening, goldfish at the night stalls, summer festivalNEW!
Overseas, there are “night markets” that open only after dark, but in Japan they don’t seem to be as popular yet.
Since markets are often held at night to avoid the daytime heat, perhaps differences in climate are a factor.
In Japan, when we think of nighttime stalls, we picture festival ennichi.
On a cool evening out at a festival’s ennichi, you’ll find old-fashioned stalls selling cotton candy and shaved ice—and of course goldfish scooping, too.
There’s something refreshingly calm about people strolling along without any particular plan of what to eat or what to enjoy.
As the children leave the nest, the number of goldfish keeps growing.NEW!
While the children grow up and leave home, the daily life that adds tiny lives—goldfish—is portrayed with humor and warmth.
There’s a slightly ironic yet tender feeling, as if welcoming goldfish fills the emptiness after the children have flown the nest.
For example, you can picture a parent smiling, having added more tanks to make up for the newfound quiet—“Even without the kids, the house is lively.” It’s a gently humorous verse that shows how, even after child-rearing ends, the objects of one’s affection don’t disappear; they simply expand.
A goldfish bowl where the light of happiness pours inNEW!
Many people experienced the experiment of focusing light with a convex lens to burn black paper when they were in elementary school.
Just the phrase “science experiment” brings a rush of nostalgia.
But did you know that a goldfish bowl can play a role similar to a convex lens? Depending on where you place it, it could even start an unexpected fire…
Setting aside that odd story, the gentle flow of time in this scene is nothing but happiness.
Aquatic plants performing photosynthesis, oxygen bubbles rising plop-plop, and a goldfish that suddenly flicks its body and turns.
It’s a blissful moment that makes you wish it could last forever.
My fangirl/fanboy activities used to be for idols; now they’re for goldfish.NEW!
This verse humorously portrays how the feeling of “being a devoted fan” doesn’t change even when the object of one’s hobby or affection does.
Once obsessed with following idols, the speaker is now captivated by the goldfish at home—an unexpected twist that makes it amusing.
For example, the way they fuss over daily tank checks and feeding, rejoicing or fretting at every little thing, mirrors the enthusiasm they once had for concerts and merchandise.
The object has changed, but the love for their “oshi” remains.
It’s a line that’s a little funny yet warmly conveys everyday life.
Bringing my child to the goldfish scooping I once came to with my motherNEW!
The generational cycle—once enjoying goldfish scooping with one’s mother, laughing together, and now returning to the same place with one’s own child—gently warms the reader’s heart.
For example, recalling the memory of desperately trying to scoop a goldfish that was just out of reach in childhood, or the mother’s kind words, “You did a great job scooping,” and now stepping into that role oneself, sharing the same joy with one’s child.
Through a small festival scene and the fun of goldfish scooping, this verse humorously and deeply evokes the flow of time and the love passed from parent to child, and from child to grandchild.