Shigin (Japanese: 詩吟, IPA: [ɕiɡiɴ]) is a performance of reciting a Japanese poem or a Chinese poem read in Japanese, each poem (詩 shi) usually chanted (吟 gin) by an individual or in a group. Reciting can be done loudly before a large audience, softly to a few friends, or quietly to the reciter themselves.
Each reciting is also termed gin. Any forms of Japanese and Chinese poetry are used for reciting.[citation needed]
Kanshi and classical Chinese poems are usually composed of four or more lines of Chinese characters, or kanji (漢字), each line having the same number of characters. Gin with four phrases, each seven characters long (the most common), are classified as shichigon-zekku (七言絶句, "seven-word quatrains"). The melody of a given poem will vary depending on the style or school.
In Vietnam, "Shigin" (詩吟) exists under the name of "Thơ Ngâm" (詩吟).