Word
文体
Meaning in Englishliterary style
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
文体 refers to the distinctive manner of writing found in a text, encompassing word choice, sentence rhythm, and tonal quality. It signals formality, genre, and authorial voice, shaping how ideas are presented and perceived.
Main meanings
- The overall style of written language in a text, including diction and sentence structure.
- The stylistic manner of a particular author or work, signaling voice and register.
- A field of linguistic study that analyzes how form and tone convey meaning in writing.
How to use it
Used in literary analysis, linguistic study, education, and journalism to discuss how a text sounds across genres and registers; it helps describe narration, dialogue, and prose style, and can indicate formality, audience, and rhetorical strategy.
Variants and close terms
- 作風 (さくふう, sakufū) style of a writer or work
- 文調 (ぶんちょう, buntchō) tone or phrasing typical of a given register
- 語法 (ごほう, gohō) usage or expression patterns that characterize writing
Composition
- 文 stands for writing/text, 体 stands for form/body; together they describe the form or organization of writing, i.e., the style of expression in a text.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
原文
gembun
the text, original
N1
肉体
nikutai
the body, the flesh
N1
体付き
karadatsuki
body build, figure
N1
天体
tentai
heavenly body
N1
人体
jintai
human body
N1
体格
taikaku
physique, constitution
N1
体験
taiken
personal experience
N1
体力
tairyoku
physical strength
N1
体裁
teisai
decency, style, form, appearance