"visual novel" meaning in English

See visual novel in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wreaderick-visual novel.wav Forms: visual novels [plural]
Etymology: Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu), from English visual + novel. Etymology templates: {{cal|en|ja|ビジュアルノベル|tr=bijuaru noberu}} Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu), {{uder|en|en|-}} English, {{compound|en|visual|novel}} visual + novel Head templates: {{en-noun}} visual novel (plural visual novels)
  1. (video games) An interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images. Synonyms: VN Related terms: eroge, moege, nukige Translations (Translations): الرواية البصرية (al-riwāyah al-baṣariyyah) [feminine] (Arabic), 視覺小說 /视觉小说 (shìjué xiǎoshuō) (Chinese Mandarin), roman vidéoludique [masculine] (French), visual novel (French), दृश्य उपन्यास (dṛśya upanyās) [masculine] (Hindi), विझ़ुअल नोवल (vizhual noval) [masculine] (Hindi), novel visual (Indonesian), ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu) (Japanese), 비주얼 노벨 (bijueol nobel) (Korean), powieść wizualna [feminine] (Polish), novela visual (Portuguese), визуальная новелла (vizualʹnaja novella) [feminine] (Russian), दृश्योपन्यास (dṛśyopanyāsa) [masculine] (Sanskrit), novela visual [feminine] (Spanish), visuell roman [common-gender] (Swedish)

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "ビジュアルノベル",
      "ビジュアルノベル#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "visual",
      "visual#English"
    ],
    [
      "novel",
      "novel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "ビジュアルノベル",
        "tr": "bijuaru noberu"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu)",
      "name": "cal"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "English",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "visual",
        "3": "novel"
      },
      "expansion": "visual + novel",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu), from English visual + novel.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "visual novels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "visual novel (plural visual novels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
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          "name": "English terms borrowed back into English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English undefined derivations",
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          "source": "w"
        },
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          "source": "w"
        },
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          "name": "Hindi terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
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        },
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        },
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          "kind": "other",
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Hindi translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Indonesian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Korean translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Sanskrit translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Japanese fiction",
          "orig": "en:Japanese fiction",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Video game genres",
          "orig": "en:Video game genres",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
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          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Video games",
          "orig": "en:Video games",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images."
      ],
      "id": "en-visual_novel-en-noun-cttrb8Qo",
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ],
        [
          "interactive fiction",
          "interactive fiction"
        ],
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ],
        [
          "narration",
          "narration"
        ],
        [
          "anime",
          "anime"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(video games) An interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "eroge"
        },
        {
          "word": "moege"
        },
        {
          "word": "nukige"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "VN"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "lang_code": "ar",
          "roman": "al-riwāyah al-baṣariyyah",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "الرواية البصرية"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "shìjué xiǎoshuō",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "視覺小說 /视觉小说"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "roman vidéoludique"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "lang_code": "fr",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "visual novel"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "roman": "dṛśya upanyās",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "दृश्य उपन्यास"
        },
        {
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "lang_code": "hi",
          "roman": "vizhual noval",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "विझ़ुअल नोवल"
        },
        {
          "code": "id",
          "lang": "Indonesian",
          "lang_code": "id",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "novel visual"
        },
        {
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "bijuaru noberu",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "ビジュアルノベル"
        },
        {
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "lang_code": "ko",
          "roman": "bijueol nobel",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "비주얼 노벨"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "powieść wizualna"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "lang_code": "pt",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "word": "novela visual"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "vizualʹnaja novella",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "визуальная новелла"
        },
        {
          "code": "sa",
          "lang": "Sanskrit",
          "lang_code": "sa",
          "roman": "dṛśyopanyāsa",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "दृश्योपन्यास"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "novela visual"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "lang_code": "sv",
          "sense": "Translations",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "visuell roman"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wreaderick-visual novel.wav",
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    }
  ],
  "word": "visual novel"
}
{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "ビジュアルノベル",
      "ビジュアルノベル#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "visual",
      "visual#English"
    ],
    [
      "novel",
      "novel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
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        "2": "ja",
        "3": "ビジュアルノベル",
        "tr": "bijuaru noberu"
      },
      "expansion": "Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu)",
      "name": "cal"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "en",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "English",
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "visual",
        "3": "novel"
      },
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      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Calque of Japanese ビジュアルノベル (bijuaru noberu), from English visual + novel.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "visual novels",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "visual novel (plural visual novels)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "eroge"
    },
    {
      "word": "moege"
    },
    {
      "word": "nukige"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English adjective-noun compound nouns",
        "English compound terms",
        "English countable nouns",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English nouns",
        "English terms borrowed back into English",
        "English terms calqued from Japanese",
        "English terms derived from Japanese",
        "English undefined derivations",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Hindi terms with non-redundant manual transliterations",
        "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Arabic translations",
        "Terms with French translations",
        "Terms with Hindi translations",
        "Terms with Indonesian translations",
        "Terms with Japanese translations",
        "Terms with Korean translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Portuguese translations",
        "Terms with Russian translations",
        "Terms with Sanskrit translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations",
        "Terms with Swedish translations",
        "Translation table header lacks gloss",
        "en:Japanese fiction",
        "en:Video game genres",
        "en:Video games"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ],
        [
          "interactive fiction",
          "interactive fiction"
        ],
        [
          "video game",
          "video game"
        ],
        [
          "narration",
          "narration"
        ],
        [
          "anime",
          "anime"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(video games) An interactive fiction video game of a style originated in Japan, consisting primarily of narration illustrated by anime-style images."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "VN"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        "video-games"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "lang_code": "ar",
      "roman": "al-riwāyah al-baṣariyyah",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "الرواية البصرية"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "shìjué xiǎoshuō",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "視覺小說 /视觉小说"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "roman vidéoludique"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "lang_code": "fr",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "visual novel"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "roman": "dṛśya upanyās",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "दृश्य उपन्यास"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "lang_code": "hi",
      "roman": "vizhual noval",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "विझ़ुअल नोवल"
    },
    {
      "code": "id",
      "lang": "Indonesian",
      "lang_code": "id",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "novel visual"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "bijuaru noberu",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "ビジュアルノベル"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "lang_code": "ko",
      "roman": "bijueol nobel",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "비주얼 노벨"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "powieść wizualna"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "lang_code": "pt",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "word": "novela visual"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "vizualʹnaja novella",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "визуальная новелла"
    },
    {
      "code": "sa",
      "lang": "Sanskrit",
      "lang_code": "sa",
      "roman": "dṛśyopanyāsa",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "दृश्योपन्यास"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "novela visual"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "sense": "Translations",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "visuell roman"
    }
  ],
  "word": "visual novel"
}

Download raw JSONL data for visual novel meaning in English (5.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (c1bb342 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.