[Hilarious] Salaryman Senryu That Make You Laugh Out Loud: A Full Showcase of Self-Deprecating and Funny Verses
Salaryman Senryu: witty 5-7-5 verses that capture the struggles of work and everyday “relatable moments.” You might find a line that makes you chuckle or one you deeply relate to.
Each year’s selections are packed with timely, era-reflecting humor.
They vividly express office truths and the at-home status of hardworking salarymen with plenty of humor—just reading them can lift your spirits.
This time, we’re introducing some of the funniest, chuckle-worthy Senryu from the collection.
Enjoy these delightful verses that will blow away the fatigue of daily life!
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[Hilarious] Salaryman Senryu That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud: A Full Showcase of Self-Deprecating and Funny Verses (1–10)
What increases are taxes and flab; what decreases is luxury.
In Japan, wages have hardly risen since the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, prices have gone up and taxes have increased.
For hard-working office workers, there are days when you just feel like you can’t take it anymore.
This haiku captures that feeling skillfully.
As we get older, our metabolism slows, it becomes harder to lose weight, and our bodies tend to feel heavier.
The poem humorously conveys the anxiety about added flab alongside a melancholy view of today’s Japan.
Let’s hope for a more vibrant Japanese economy going forward.
I quit smoking, yet I’m still shunned at home.
With prices rising year after year, more people are quitting smoking for the sake of their livelihoods.
It might be becoming a world where smokers feel out of place.
But it seems the character in this senryu has quit smoking… and yet they’re still treated as a nuisance, which means the cause lies with the person themselves.
No place in society, no place at home… what a truly bittersweet senryu.
This tends to happen especially to those who’ve worked hard outside the home, so I hope they’ll cherish time with their families.
Running—my finish line is the neighborhood izakaya.
It’s a senryu that makes everyone think, “What are you even running for?!” Many people start running for health or weight loss, right? Which means if you stop by an izakaya afterward and indulge in high-calorie food and drinks, all that effort goes down the drain…! But running is a really tough exercise for those who don’t usually do it.
I completely understand wanting a reward at the finish line.
This piece brilliantly captures people’s contradictory behavior and is sure to resonate with many—a wonderful work indeed.
[Bursting Laughter] Salaryman Senryu That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud. A Full Showcase of Self-Deprecating and Funny Verses (11–20)
Telework—working from home—is a no from my wife.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more companies have adopted working from home.
For employees, having less commuting time offers the benefit of reducing mental strain.
However, some family members may feel burdened by someone working at home.
Wives who see the time when their husbands or other family members are out as their own personal time tend to feel stressed.
There are also reports from wives who work from home together with their husbands that “preparing meals is tough.”
My wife’s retirement plan doesn’t include me
As you spend more time together, you come to understand both the good and the not-so-good sides of your partner.
Thinking about life in old age based on how you’ve lived so far, some people might consider separating from their husbands to live more comfortably.
Even among celebrities, the couple Yuya Uchida and Kirin Kiki lived apart for many years.
Kirin Kiki, who called Yuya Uchida “the best husband,” never divorced him, and their marriage lasted throughout their lives.
It seems there are as many forms of marital relationships as there are couples, not only the option of spending old age together.
“If I win the lottery, I’ll quit” is the catchphrase
Most people who buy lottery tickets think, “If I win, I’ll quit my job,” right? Here’s a senryu that perfectly captures that feeling.
If you win the lottery, you get a large sum of money.
We’ve all daydreamed at least once about life after winning.
Everyone shares the desire to get money the easy way.
But the odds of hitting the jackpot are one in tens of millions… It’s not that easy to win.
Knowing that, we can’t just walk away from our jobs—but we still want to hold on to hope.
In a sense, there may be many people who keep going thanks to this very mantra.
“Dot-com? Which part gets crowded?” asks the boss.
A hilarious misunderstanding that makes you burst out laughing! What a cute boss.
By “dot com,” they probably mean the “.com” that appears at the end of a website URL or an email address.
But it seems this boss misheard it as “dotto komu” (meaning “crowded all of a sudden”).
Perhaps they belong to a generation that doesn’t use the internet much.
I think it’s best to gently correct them sooner rather than later, but since they’re your superior, pointing it out is tricky… It’s amusing, but it makes for a very vexing senryu.