ビジュアルノベル

also: ヴィジュアルノベル

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Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

visual novel

video games

A genre of interactive fiction video game originating in Japan, characterized by text-based storytelling, static or minimally animated graphics, and player choices that affect the narrative. Often abbreviated as VN. Compare with ノベルゲーム, which is sometimes used synonymously.

wasei-eigo (Japanese-coined English)

Related words

ノベルゲーム
Often used interchangeably with ビジュアルノベル, but ノベルゲーム can sometimes emphasize the game-like interactive elements more than the visual presentation.
サウンドノベル
A subgenre of visual novel that emphasizes atmospheric sound and music over detailed graphics; originally a trademark of Chunsoft.

Built from

ビジュアル+ノベル

Written forms

ヴィジュアルノベル
Alternate spelling using ヴィ for the 'vi' sound; less common but still encountered.
ビジュアル・ノベル
- ビジュアルノベル
  Spelling with an interpunct; sometimes used for clarity or stylistic effect.
- ビジュアル・ノベル
ヴィジュアル・ノベル
- ヴィジュアルノベル
  Rare spelling combining ヴィ and the interpunct.
- ヴィジュアル・ノベル

Etymology

Wasei-eigo (Japanese-made English) from 'visual' and 'novel'. The term was coined in Japan to describe a specific genre of text-heavy adventure games with static graphics, distinct from Western 'interactive fiction'.