Hungarian speakers first learned of haiku at the beginning of the 20th century from English and French translations. Japanese haiku were first translated into Hungarian in 1907, and a substantial collection of translations of Japanese poetry, including haiku, appeared in 1931. The first original haiku published in Hungarian date from 1936. In 2000 the Haiku Klub was founded in Budapest. And in 2010 the World Haiku Festival was held in Pécs, a city in southern Hungary. Since 2013, the Magyar Haikunap (Hungarian Haiku Day) has been held every year.

Judit Vihar (Hungarian style: Vihar Judit; born August 28, 1944, Budapest, Hungary), professor of Eötvös Loránd University Budapest (ELTE) and Károli Gáspár University of Reformed Church (KRE), haiku poet, literary translator. Founder of the Hungarian Haiku Club, in 2002 she won first prize in the World Haiku Conference English-language haiku competition in Japan. President of the Association of Japanese Studies and also of the Hungary-Japan Friendship Society since 2001, Vihar organized the World Haiku Festival in Pécs, Hungary, in 2010, and since 2013 the Hungarian Haiku Day on April 18. Author of the Haikupedia article “Haiku in Hungary.” Resides in Budapest, Hungary.