kamishibai

K5A1M3I1S1H4I1B3A1I1

noun

A traditional Japanese form of storytelling using picture scrolls, revived in the twentieth century by travelling showmen.

OriginJapanese 紙芝居 →
Scrabble 21
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Meanings

nounkamishibai (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA traditional Japanese form of storytelling using picture scrolls, revived in the twentieth century by travelling showmen.

    Japan Society will honor it with kamishibai, a traditional form of puppet theater.

    2007 May 4, The New York Times, “Spare Times for Children”, in New York Times

Origin

  1. Japanese紙芝居
  2. Englishkamishibai

Borrowed from Japanese 紙芝居 (literally “paper drama”).

More words from Japanese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

kamishibai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamishibai

MLA

“kamishibai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamishibai. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kamishibai,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kamishibai.

Source: kamishibai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.