Help:Japanese book word glossary

This is a glossary of Japanese book-related words and their English equivalents. They are listed in Japanese gojūon order. There are often multiple words for the same thing, so use the search function to find all of them.

あいうえお

愛蔵版 (あいぞうばん, aizōban) – collector's edition
異世界 (いせかい, isekai) – alternate universe; parallel universe; alternate dimension; other world; alternate world;
イラスト (irasuto) – illustration; sometimes used to indicate the artist who did the illustrations; see also 絵 and 画;
絵 (え, e) – picture; often used to indicate the artist who did the illustrations; see also 画 and イラスト;
エスエフ (esuefu) – science fiction; sometimes also SF;

かきくけこ

硬表紙 (かたびょうし, katabyōshi) – hard cover; stiff cover (including semi-hard covers);
カバーイラスト (kabā irasuto) – cover illustration; see also 表紙;
画 (が, ga) – picture; illustration; often used to indicate the artist who did the illustrations; see also 絵 and イラスト;
口絵 (くちえ, kuchie) – frontispiece;
原作者 (げんさくしゃ, gensakusha) – original creator; original author; often means "based on [the work of this] author; used to indicate someone who originally created the world or universe of a story, but does not indicate the author;
幻想 (げんそう, gensō) – fantasy;
告知用 (こくちよう, kokuchiyō) – (used for) announcement; (used for) advertisement;
号 (ごう, gō) – number; issue;

さしすせそ

者 (しゃ, sha) – author;
小説 (しょうせつ, shōsetsu) – novel;
外箱 (そとばこ, sotobako) – slipcase;
外函 (そとばこ, sotobako) – slipcase;

たちつてと

単行本 (たんこうぼん, tankōbon) – volume; single volume; standalone volume; sometimes used to indicate a hardcover edition;
著者 (ちょしゃ, chosha) – author;

なにぬねの

ノベル (noberu) – novel;

はひふへほ

パラレルワールド or パラレル・ワールド (parareru wārudo) – parallel world; parallel universe;
表紙 (ひょうし, hyōshi) – cover (of a book/magazine); often used to credit the cover artist in magazines;
ファンタジー (fantajī) – fantasy;
文庫判 (ぶんこばん, bunkoban) – pocket-sized paperback;
文庫版 (ぶんこばん, bunkoban) – paperback edition;
並行世界 (へいこうせかい, heikō sekai) – parallel world; parallel universe;

まみむめも

漫画 (まんが, manga) – comics; Japanese comics;
モノクローム (monokurōmu) – monochrome;

らりるれろ

ライトノベル or ライト・ノベル (raito noberu) – light novel; pulp novel;
ライノベ (rainobe) – abbreviation for light novel; pulp novel;
ラノベ (ranobe) – abbreviation for light novel; pulp novel;