Meaning of 小说
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- novel
- fiction
Measure word: 本,部
How to use 小说
小说 means a novel or fiction in general, and it often pairs with the verb 看 (kàn) to read. The measure word is usually 本 (běn) for a book, or 部 (bù) for a work. Example: 我在看一本中文小说。(Wǒ zài kàn yì běn Zhōngwén xiǎoshuō.) I am reading a Chinese novel.
小说 is built from 小 (xiǎo) small and 说 (shuō) to speak or tell. Think of a novel as "small talk" written down: everyday stories told for fun rather than serious official writing.
Common mistake: Learners often say 读小说 is the only way to say "read a novel," but in everyday speech 看小说 (kàn xiǎoshuō) is far more common. Also keep 说 in first tone, shuō, not shuì, which is a different reading used in words like 游说 (yóushuì).
小说 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
小 xiǎo · small · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 小说.
| 小姐 | xiǎojiě | young lady; miss |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 小朋友 | xiǎopéngyǒu | child; kid (used to refer to a child, or by an adult to address a child, or, in Taiwan, to |
| 小学 | xiǎoxué | elementary school; primary school |
| 小孩儿 | xiǎoháir | erhua variant of 小孩[xiao3 hai2] |
| 小学生 | xiǎoxuéshēng | primary school student; schoolchild |
| 小心 | xiǎoxīn | to be careful; to take care |
| 听说 | tīngshuō | to hear (sth said); one hears (that) |
| 说明 | shuōmíng | to explain; to illustrate |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 小组 | xiǎozǔ | group |
Questions about 小说
What does 小说 mean?
小说 (xiǎoshuō) means "novel; fiction" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 小说?
小说 is made of 2 characters: 小 (3 strokes), 说 (9 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 小说 an HSK word?
Yes. 小说 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 小说 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 小说 is written 小說.
How do you say short story or online novel in Chinese?
A short story is 短篇小说 (duǎnpiān xiǎoshuō), and a full-length novel is 长篇小说 (chángpiān xiǎoshuō). An online or web novel is 网络小说 (wǎngluò xiǎoshuō), often shortened to 网文 (wǎngwén).
What is the word for a novelist or fiction writer?
A novelist is 小说家 (xiǎoshuōjiā), adding 家 (jiā), which marks an expert in a field. You can also simply say 作家 (zuòjiā) for a writer in general.