Novel in Different Languages
Discover 'Novel' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A 'novel' is a significant cultural artifact, a literary form that has captivated readers for centuries. Originated in the 18th century, the novel has evolved into a versatile medium, reflecting societal changes, cultural shifts, and human emotions in profound ways. Its ability to weave intricate narratives, create memorable characters, and explore complex themes has made it a beloved genre worldwide.
Understanding the translation of 'novel' in different languages not only broadens your linguistic abilities but also offers a fascinating glimpse into how diverse cultures appreciate and interpret this literary form. For instance, in Spanish, a novel translates to 'novela', in French, it's 'roman', while in German, it's 'Roman'. These translations not only represent the word 'novel' but also carry the rich history and cultural significance of these languages.
Explore the translations below and embark on a global literary journey.
Novel
Novel in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | boek | ||
| The word "boek" can also mean any written publication, not just a novel. | |||
| Amharic | ልብ ወለድ | ||
| The word "ልብ ወለድ" in Amharic is a direct translation from French "roman", meaning it can also refer to a love story. | |||
| Hausa | labari | ||
| Labari can also translate to "news", "information", or "tale" and often appears in Hausa newspapers. | |||
| Igbo | akwụkwọ ọgụgụ | ||
| Malagasy | tantara | ||
| The word "tantara" in Malagasy originally meant "story" or "tale" and was derived from the Arabic word "hadīth". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | buku lakale | ||
| The word 'buku lakale' can also be used figuratively in Nyanja to mean an 'old story' or a 'legend'. | |||
| Shona | novel | ||
| In Shona, the word "novel" can also mean "a new or unusual thing" or "a strange or unfamiliar person." | |||
| Somali | sheeko | ||
| The Somali word "sheeko" has multiple meanings, including "story" and "event". The etymology of the word is unknown, but it might be related to the Arabic word "shakaa" (to tell a story). | |||
| Sesotho | padi | ||
| The word "padi" in Sesotho can also refer to a "story" or a "tale". | |||
| Swahili | riwaya | ||
| Riwaya derives from the Arabic word 'riwāyah' meaning 'narrative' or 'story' and is a borrowed term in Swahili. | |||
| Xhosa | inoveli | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inoveli' can also mean 'a new thing' or 'a new experience'. | |||
| Yoruba | aramada | ||
| In Yoruba, 'aramada' is also used to refer to a 'story' or 'tale' told for entertainment. | |||
| Zulu | inoveli | ||
| The Zulu word 'inoveli' can also mean 'news' or 'information'. | |||
| Bambara | kura | ||
| Ewe | ŋutinyagbalẽ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igitabo | ||
| Lingala | ya sika | ||
| Luganda | akatabo | ||
| Sepedi | kanegelo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | akenkan | ||
Novel in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | رواية | ||
| رواية means “narration, account” in Arabic and is derived from the verb “روى” which means “to relate, to narrate.” | |||
| Hebrew | רוֹמָן | ||
| The Hebrew word "רוֹמָן" is also the name of a pomegranate and is related to the Latin word "malum granatum", meaning "apple with seeds". | |||
| Pashto | ناول | ||
| The Pashto word "ناول" is derived from the Persian word "نو" meaning "new" or "fresh" and refers specifically to new or modern literary works. | |||
| Arabic | رواية | ||
| رواية means “narration, account” in Arabic and is derived from the verb “روى” which means “to relate, to narrate.” | |||
Novel in Western European Languages
| Albanian | novelë | ||
| The Albanian word "novelë" derives from the Latin word "novus" (new), and can refer to both a novel and a short story. | |||
| Basque | eleberria | ||
| In archaic Basque "eleberria" could refer to the book's binding or ornamentation as well as to its written content. | |||
| Catalan | novel·la | ||
| In Catalan, "novel·la" is also a literary genre that originated in medieval times, characterized by its short length, prose form, and focus on a single plot or character. | |||
| Croatian | roman | ||
| "Roman" is also a slang term for money in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | roman | ||
| The word "roman" in Danish also refers to a serialized story published in a newspaper or magazine. | |||
| Dutch | roman | ||
| In Dutch, "roman" can also refer to a Catholic church or a type of lettuce. | |||
| English | novel | ||
| The word "novel" comes from the Latin word "novellus," which means "new" or "novelty." | |||
| French | roman | ||
| The French word "roman" derives from an Old French word for "tale," and originally referred to a type of medieval prose narrative. | |||
| Frisian | roman | ||
| It is cognate with German Roman and Dutch roman and means 'novel'. | |||
| Galician | novela | ||
| In Galician, "novela" also refers to a fictionalized story told orally in traditional gatherings. | |||
| German | roman | ||
| The word “Roman” comes from the Old French word for “story,” "romanz," borrowed from Medieval Latin romanice loqui, or "to speak in the Roman manner." | |||
| Icelandic | skáldsaga | ||
| The Icelandic word "skáldsaga" originally referred to a historical saga composed in verse form, but later came to mean any narrative work of fiction. | |||
| Irish | úrscéal | ||
| Úrscéal, which means "novel" in modern Irish, originally referred to an "oral tale" or "great story." | |||
| Italian | romanzo | ||
| "Romanzo", from the Late Latin "romanice", meaning "in the vernacular", has come to mean "novel" while its original meaning of "romance" lives on in the term "romanza". | |||
| Luxembourgish | roman | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Roman" also historically referred to a religious procession or pilgrimage. | |||
| Maltese | ġdid | ||
| In Maltese, the word "ġdid" not only means "novel" but also "new" and "recent". | |||
| Norwegian | roman | ||
| Ordet «roman» kommer fra fransk, der betydningen er «fortelling», og er i slekt med ord som «romantikk» og «romanse». | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | romance | ||
| The Portuguese word "romance" comes from the Old French word "romans," which originally referred to a vernacular language text written in a Romance language, as opposed to Latin. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | nobhail | ||
| The word 'nobhail' (novel) originally referred to a new tale, story, or piece of news. | |||
| Spanish | novela | ||
| In Spanish, "novela" can also refer to a short story or novella, a soap opera, or a romantic story. | |||
| Swedish | roman | ||
| The word "roman" in Swedish derives from the German "roman", itself taken from the French "roman", ultimately stemming from the Latin "romanicus", meaning "Roman". | |||
| Welsh | nofel | ||
| The Welsh word "nofel" also has the alternate meanings "new" and "strange". | |||
Novel in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | раман | ||
| The word "раман" derives from the Latin "romans", "narrative or love poem." | |||
| Bosnian | roman | ||
| The word "roman" in Bosnian can also refer to a "love story" or a "romantic novel". | |||
| Bulgarian | роман | ||
| The word "роман" comes from the French word "roman", which originally meant "tale" or "story". In Bulgarian, the word "роман" has a similar meaning, but it usually refers to a longer work of fiction. | |||
| Czech | román | ||
| Czech "román" derives from French "roman" but can also refer to an epic poem, especially one related to heroes, chivalry, or adventure. | |||
| Estonian | romaan | ||
| "Romaani" tuleb keskaegse ladina keelest "romant" ja tähistab kõike imelist, imepärast, eriskummalist või fantastilist. | |||
| Finnish | romaani | ||
| Hungarian | regény | ||
| The Hungarian word "regény" derives from the Latin "res gestae", meaning "events that happened", and originally denoted a historical narrative. | |||
| Latvian | novele | ||
| The Latvian word “novele” originally meant a fictional story, but today it is commonly used to describe a short prose work of fiction. | |||
| Lithuanian | romanas | ||
| The Lithuanian word "romanas" originated from the Greek "rhomaikos" meaning "of Rome" or "in the manner of Rome". | |||
| Macedonian | роман | ||
| The word "роман" can also refer to a medieval epic poem in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | powieść | ||
| The word "powieść" comes from the verb "powiedzieć" (to tell), indicating that it originally referred to a story told orally. | |||
| Romanian | roman | ||
| The Romanian word "roman" (novel) stems from the Medieval Latin "romancia" and is related to "Romance languages" and "Romanian", denoting their common root in the spoken Latin of the Roman Empire. | |||
| Russian | роман | ||
| In Russian the word “роман” (roman) can refer both to the literary genre or to an affair between two people. | |||
| Serbian | роман | ||
| In Serbian, "роман" (roman) also means "love affair" or "romance", reflecting the genre's historical focus on relationships. | |||
| Slovak | román | ||
| The word "román" in Slovak comes from the French word "roman", ultimately deriving from the Latin word "romanus" meaning "relating to Rome". | |||
| Slovenian | roman | ||
| The word roman, meaning “novel” in Slovenian, originates from the French word “roman,” which in turn derives from the Latin word “romānus,” meaning "Roman." | |||
| Ukrainian | роман | ||
| The word "Роман" in Ukrainian shares its root with the word "романтика" (romance), both derived from the Proto-Slavic word "romanъ", meaning "story". The word "роман" also has a historical meaning of "a literary work about chivalry". | |||
Novel in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | উপন্যাস | ||
| উপন্যাস, derived from the Sanskrit term 'upanyasa' meaning 'an extended discourse', encompasses a wide range of literary forms from ancient Indian epics to modern-day prose narratives. | |||
| Gujarati | નવલકથા | ||
| The Gujarati word "નવલકથા" originates from Sanskrit and translates to "new story" or "fresh narrative." | |||
| Hindi | उपन्यास | ||
| "उपन्यास" originates from Sanskrit and means "new" or "near"; the alternate meaning refers to something "interesting or delightful." | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾದಂಬರಿ | ||
| ಕಾದಂಬರಿ means a long prose narrative in Kannada, and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Kadamba', referring to the fragrant Kadamba flower that symbolizes sweetness and joy. | |||
| Malayalam | നോവൽ | ||
| The Malayalam word "നോവൽ" (novel) also means "new" or "strange", reflecting the sense of novelty associated with the literary genre. | |||
| Marathi | कादंबरी | ||
| The Marathi word "कादंबरी" derives from the Sanskrit word "कादम्ब" meaning "a ball of flowers" or "a flower garland", highlighting the ornamental and captivating nature of novels. | |||
| Nepali | उपन्यास | ||
| The Nepali word 'उपन्यास' is derived from the Sanskrit term 'उप + न्यास', meaning 'to place near' or 'to append'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਾਵਲ | ||
| In Punjabi, "ਨਾਵਲ" can also refer to a new thing or idea, highlighting its innovative nature. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නවකතාව | ||
| නවකතාව (navakatāva) literally means "new story", and is used to refer to both fictional and non-fictional long works of narrative prose. | |||
| Tamil | நாவல் | ||
| The Tamil word "நாவல்" (nāval) has multiple meanings, including "new," "story," and "a type of tree." | |||
| Telugu | నవల | ||
| The Telugu word "నవల" is derived from the Sanskrit word "नवल" which means "new". | |||
| Urdu | ناول | ||
| The Urdu word "ناول" originally meant "a new thing" or "an innovation", and it is derived from the Arabic word "nawl" with the same meaning. | |||
Novel in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 小说 | ||
| 小说, originally meaning "small talk" or "trivial matter," has come to refer to narrative works of prose, especially those of considerable length. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 小說 | ||
| The term "小說" in Traditional Chinese also encompasses other literary genres such as short stories and fictionalized historical accounts. | |||
| Japanese | 小説 | ||
| The word "小説" (shōsetsu) originally meant "small talk" or "fictional stories" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 소설 | ||
| The word "소설" (novel) was originally a Chinese loanword that meant "small talk" or "untrue or trivial statements". | |||
| Mongolian | роман | ||
| The Mongolian word "роман" can also mean "story" or "fiction", and is derived from the Russian word "роман". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဝတ္ထု | ||
| ဝတ္ထု originated from the Pali term "vatthu" (Sanskrit "vastu") and traditionally referred to chronicles, histories, and biographies rather than fictional works. | |||
Novel in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | novel | ||
| In Indonesian, the word 'novel' can also refer to a genre of classical Javanese literature consisting of prose and poetry. | |||
| Javanese | novel | ||
| The Javanese word for 'novel' is 'novèl', which is derived from the Dutch word 'novel' and refers to a fictional literary work. | |||
| Khmer | ប្រលោមលោក | ||
| ប្រលោមលោក means "extraordinary" and was derived from a Sanskrit term, "pra-lōma" (literally, "against the fur, against the grain"). | |||
| Lao | ນະວະນິຍາຍ | ||
| Malay | novel | ||
| In Malay, "novel" can also refer to a unique or extraordinary thing. | |||
| Thai | นวนิยาย | ||
| "นวนิยาย" derives from Sanskrit "nava" (new) and "katha" (story), and can also mean "short story" or "fiction". | |||
| Vietnamese | cuốn tiểu thuyết | ||
| The word "cuốn tiểu thuyết" is a compound noun, consisting of the words "cuốn" (meaning "book" or "volume") and "tiểu thuyết" (meaning "fiction" or "novel"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nobela | ||
Novel in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | roman | ||
| In Azerbiayjan the term 'Roman' is a term that has a double meaning - a book of fiction, and one's sweetheart or beloved | |||
| Kazakh | роман | ||
| The word "роман" (novel) in Kazakh also means "romance". | |||
| Kyrgyz | роман | ||
| The word "роман" ("novel") can also refer to a romantic relationship, and is cognate with the English word "romance". | |||
| Tajik | роман | ||
| In Tajik, "роман" can also mean "romance" or "love affair." | |||
| Turkmen | roman | ||
| Uzbek | roman | ||
| The word "roman" in Uzbek can also refer to a romantic relationship or a romance novel. | |||
| Uyghur | رومان | ||
Novel in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | puke moʻolelo | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word moʻolelo has multiple meanings, including 'story', 'history', and 'tradition'. | |||
| Maori | pakiwaitara | ||
| The word “pakiwaitara” can also mean “to publish, to print, or to release” in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | tala | ||
| "Tala" also means "story," "speech," "news," and "rumor." | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | nobela | ||
| The Tagalog word "nobela" comes from the Spanish word "novela", which itself comes from the Italian word "novella" meaning "new" or "news". | |||
Novel in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | uñstiri | ||
| Guarani | mombe'upyrusu | ||
Novel in International Languages
| Esperanto | romano | ||
| The word "romano" in Esperanto is derived from the Latin word for "Romance", referring to the Romance languages. | |||
| Latin | romanorum | ||
| Derived from the Roman word "novus" meaning "new","Romanorum" (novel) initially referred to something "new" or "extraordinary." | |||
Novel in Others Languages
| Greek | μυθιστόρημα | ||
| The word "μυθιστόρημα" comes from the Greek "μύθος," meaning "myth," and "ἱστορία," meaning "history," hinting at the novel's connection to both fictional and historical narratives. | |||
| Hmong | dab neeg | ||
| "Dab neeg" in Hmong also means "story", "tale", or "fiction." | |||
| Kurdish | roman | ||
| In Kurdish, "roman" also refers to a romantic relationship or a love story. | |||
| Turkish | roman | ||
| Roman in Turkish can also be used to describe a form of theater, particularly in the Black Sea region. | |||
| Xhosa | inoveli | ||
| The Xhosa word 'inoveli' can also mean 'a new thing' or 'a new experience'. | |||
| Yiddish | ראָמאַן | ||
| The Yiddish word "ראָמאַן" (roman) derives from the French "roman" and has the alternate meaning of "love story". | |||
| Zulu | inoveli | ||
| The Zulu word 'inoveli' can also mean 'news' or 'information'. | |||
| Assamese | উপন্যাস | ||
| Aymara | uñstiri | ||
| Bhojpuri | उपन्यास | ||
| Dhivehi | ވާހަކަފޮތް | ||
| Dogri | उपन्यास | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | nobela | ||
| Guarani | mombe'upyrusu | ||
| Ilocano | baro | ||
| Krio | nyu | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ڕۆمان | ||
| Maithili | उपन्यास | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯅꯧꯕ | ||
| Mizo | thawnthu | ||
| Oromo | asoosama | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଉପନ୍ୟାସ | ||
| Quechua | novela | ||
| Sanskrit | उपन्यास | ||
| Tatar | роман | ||
| Tigrinya | ልበ ወለድ | ||
| Tsonga | novhele | ||