Phrase guide

light novel

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A Japanese novel primarily targeting young adults, typically illustrated (in an anime/manga style) and containing not more than 50,000 words.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: LN

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: novel

History

Etymology

Phono-semantic matching of Japanese ライトノベル (raito noberu), itself a wasei eigo (和製英語; pseudo-anglicism) derived from light + novel.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 輕小說 /轻小说 (qīngxiǎoshuō) — Japanese type of novel
  • Japanese: ライトノベル (raito noberu) — Japanese type of novel
  • Korean: 라이트 노벨 (raiteu nobel) — Japanese type of novel
  • Polish: light novel — Japanese type of novel
  • Russian: лайт-новелла (lajt-novella) — Japanese type of novel
  • Spanish: novela ligera — Japanese type of novel
  • Swedish: lättroman — Japanese type of novel
  • Ukrainian: ранобе (ranobe) — Japanese type of novel