How to say “novel” in Chinese
novel, fiction
“Novel” in Chinese is 小说, xiǎo shuō: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
小说 is read xiǎo shuō: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 讠 “speech”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “小说”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 小说. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 这本小说的作者是谁？zhèběnxiǎoshuōdezuòzhěshìshéiWho's the author of this novel?
- 这部小说主要讲什么？zhèbùxiǎoshuōzhǔyàojiǎngshénmeWhat's this novel mainly about?
- 小说是小说，电影是电影，内容不完全一样。xiǎoshuōshìxiǎoshuō,diànyǐngshìdiànyǐng,nèiróngbùwánquányíyàngA novel is a novel, and a film is a film: the content isn't exactly the same.
- 这部电影跟小说不太一样。zhèbùdiànyǐnggēnxiǎoshuōbútàiyíyàngThis film isn't much like the novel.
- 小说是小说电影是电影xiǎoshuōshìxiǎoshuō,diànyǐngshìdiànyǐngA novel is a novel, and a film is a film.
- 这部电视剧跟小说完全不一样。zhèbùdiànshìjùgēnxiǎoshuōwánquánbùyíyàngThis series is nothing like the novel.
More words from the lesson “Novels and magazines”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “novel” in Chinese?
“Novel” in Chinese is 小说, pinyin xiǎoshuō.
What does 小说 mean?
小说 (xiǎoshuō) means “novel, fiction”.
How do you write 小说?
小说 is 2 characters: 小 (xiǎo) — small; 说 (shuō) — speak, say. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 小说?
小说 is read xiǎoshuō. Tones: xiǎo — third tone, shuō — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“novel” in the lesson “Novels and magazines”
This word is from the topic “Art and the stage” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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