文体
Meanings
literary style; writing style
Refers to the characteristic way an author or work uses language, including diction, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices.
His writing style is very concise and easy to understand.
The literary style of this novel is distinctive; you can tell the author right away.
form of written language; linguistic register
Used for broad categories of written language such as classical Japanese (文語体) vs. modern colloquial style (口語体), or formal vs. informal registers.
In classical Japanese class, we study the classical written style.
In a report, you should use an academic writing style, not a colloquial one.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉の文体で書くto write in the style of ~
He tried writing in the style of Natsume Sōseki.
- 文体が独特だto have a distinctive writing style
This author's writing style is distinctive.
- 文体を模倣するto imitate a writing style
The students practiced by imitating a famous author's writing style.
- 文体を変えるto change one's writing style
He changes his writing style with each novel.