How to say 'Novel' in Japanese | 小説

Wondering how to say 'Novel' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Novel is 'Shousetsu', written as 小説 in Japanese.'Novel' in hiragana is しょうせつ.

word

小説

Meaning

Novel

Reading

しょうせつ

shousetsu

Kanji

小Small 説Theory, Explanation

Explanation

The Japanese noun '小説 (しょうせつ)' refers to a 'novel', which is a long fictional narrative in prose form. This term is commonly used in literary contexts to describe works of fiction that explore complex characters, plots, and themes. For example: I enjoy reading novels「小説を読むのが好きです」(しょうせつをよむのがすきです). This novel is very interesting「この小説はとても面白い」(このしょうせつはとてもおもしろい). The word can also be used in compound terms, such as '歴史小説 (れきししょうせつ)' (historical novel) or '推理小説 (すいりしょうせつ)' (mystery novel).

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

927

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 小説

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

kanji

小

Meaning

Small

kanji

説

Meaning

Theory, Explanation

Words Related to 小説 Through the Kanji 小

These 24 Words contain the Kanji 小 as well.

word

小さな

Meaning

Small

word

小さい

Meaning

Small

word

小学生

Meaning

Elementary student

word

小学校

Meaning

Elementary

word

小包

Meaning

Parcel

word

小

Meaning

Small

word

小川

Meaning

Stream

word

小雨

Meaning

Drizzle

word

小屋

Meaning

Hut

word

小売店

Meaning

Retail store

word

小便

Meaning

Urine, Urination

word

小量

Meaning

Small amount

word

小学

Meaning

Elementary

word

小指

Meaning

Pinkie

word

小遣い

Meaning

Pocket money

word

縮小

Meaning

Reduction

word

小型

Meaning

Small size

word

小鳥

Meaning

Bird

word

小麦

Meaning

Wheat

word

小麦粉

Meaning

Flour

word

小児科

Meaning

Pediatrics

word

大小

Meaning

Size, Importance

word

最小

Meaning

Minimum

word

小児

Meaning

Child

Words Related to 小説 Through the Kanji 説

These 10 Words contain the Kanji 説 as well.

word

説

Meaning

Theory

word

説明

Meaning

Explanation

word

説く

Meaning

Explain

word

解説

Meaning

Explanation

word

社説

Meaning

Editorial

word

学説

Meaning

Theory

word

説得

Meaning

Persuasion

word

演説

Meaning

Speech

word

伝説

Meaning

Legend

word

仮説

Meaning

Hypothesis

Learn the Word 小説

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What does 'Shousetsu' (小説) mean?

'Shousetsu' means 'Novel' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.