Japanese symbol for “novel”
小説
しょうせつ
Romaji: shousetsu
novel; story; (work of) fiction
In Japanese, novel is 小説, read しょうせつ (shousetsu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n novel; story; (work of) fiction
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “novel”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 新しい | あたらしい atarashii | new; novel; fresh |
| 新た | あらた arata | new; fresh; novel |
| 斬新 | ざんしん zanshin | novel; original; new |
| 長編 | ちょうへん chouhen | long work; (full-length) novel; feature-length film |
| 異色 | いしょく ishoku | unique; distinctive; novel |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 小学校 | しょうがっこう shougakkou | primary school; elementary school; grade school |
| 小学生 | しょうがくせい shougakusei | elementary school student; primary school student; grade school student |
| 小型 | こがた kogata | small-sized; small-scale; miniature |
| 小さい | ちいさい chiisai | small; little; tiny |
| 縮小 | しゅくしょう shukushou | reduction; curtailment; cut |
| 説明 | せつめい setsumei | explanation; exposition; description |
| 解説 | かいせつ kaisetsu | explanation; commentary; exposition |
| 伝説 | でんせつ densetsu | legend; folklore; tradition |
See also: Chinese symbol for “novel”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.