文ぶん庫こ本ぼん

ぶ

ん

こ

ぼ

ん

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

small-format paperback; pocket paperback

Refers to the compact, affordable paperback format common in Japan, typically A6 size, often used for reprints of novels and light novels.

通つう勤きん中ちゅうに文ぶん庫こ本ぼんを読よむのが好すきです。
I like reading pocket paperbacks during my commute.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉が文ぶん庫こ本ぼんになるfor a book to be released in pocket-paperback format
このベストセラー小しょう説せつはついに文ぶん庫こ本ぼんになった。
This bestselling novel was finally released as a pocket paperback.
文ぶん庫こ本ぼんで読よむto read (a work) in its paperback edition rather than hardcover
単たん行こう本ぼんより文ぶん庫こ本ぼんで読よむほうが安やすい。
It's cheaper to read it in the paperback edition than the hardcover.

Kanji

文sentence, literature, style
庫warehouse, storehouse
本book, present, main

Related words

文ぶん庫こN1
文庫本 is the full, unabbreviated term for a paperback book, while 文庫 is the everyday shortened form used in casual speech.

Don't confuse with

単たん行こう本ぼんN1
単行本 is a standalone book (often a hardcover or larger first edition), while 文庫本 is the smaller, cheaper paperback reprint that comes later.
新しん書しょN1
新書 is a slightly larger (B6-ish) paperback format usually for non-fiction, whereas 文庫本 is the smaller A6 format typically used for novels and reprints.

Counted with

冊さつN1
For bound volumes — books, magazines, notebooks.
部ぶN2
For copies of printed matter — documents, reports, magazines (資料を3部).

Built from

文ぶん庫こ+本ほん

Etymology

Compound of 文庫 (bunko, 'library' or 'book collection') and 本 (hon, 'book'), referring to a book format originally designed to be compact and collectible.