Meanings
nounlight novel (plural light novels)
plural light novels
- literatureA Japanese novel primarily targeting young adults, typically illustrated (in an anime/manga style) and containing not more than 50,000 words.
Synonyms: LN
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA Japanese novel primarily targeting young adults, typically illustrated (in an anime/manga style) and containing not more than 50,000 words.
Similar
Origin
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.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic الرواية الخفيفة
- الرواية الخفيفة (al-riwāyah al-khafīfah)Japanese type of novel
Chinese Mandarin 輕小說 /轻小说
- 輕小說 /轻小说 (qīngxiǎoshuō)Japanese type of novel
Hindi लाइट नोवल, हल्का उपन्यास
- लाइट नोवल (lāiṭ noval)Japanese type of novel
- हल्का उपन्यास (halkā upanyās)Japanese type of novel
Japanese ラノベ, ライトノベル
- ラノベ (ranobe)Japanese type of novel
- ライトノベル (raito noberu)Japanese type of novel
Korean 라이트 노벨
- 라이트 노벨 (raiteu nobel)Japanese type of novel
Polish light novel
- light novelJapanese type of novel
Russian ранобэ, лайт-новелла
- ранобэ (ranobɛ)Japanese type of novel
- лайт-новелла (lajt-novella)Japanese type of novel
Spanish novela ligera
- novela ligeraJapanese type of novel
Swedish lättroman
- lättromanJapanese type of novel
Ukrainian ранобе
- ранобе (ranobe)Japanese type of novel
Cite this entry
APA
light novel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20novel
MLA
“light novel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20novel. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “light novel,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/light%20novel.
Source: light novel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.