Japanese word

文庫

Pronunciation

Romajibunko

Meaning

  • nounpaperback

Example

旅行には薄い文庫を一冊持っていきます。ryo kō ni wa usu i bun ko o ichi satsu mo tte i ki ma su

I take one thin paperback with me on trips.

Illustration for 文庫 (paperback)

More examples

古い文庫を本棚から取り出しました。furu i bun ko o hon dana ka ra to ri da shi ma shi ta

I took an old paperback off the bookshelf.

Core concept

A 文庫 (bunko) gathers books into a compact form, referring either to a paperback edition or to a small book collection.

Common phrases

  • 文庫を読むbun ko o yo mu

    read a paperback

  • 文庫を買うbun ko o ka u

    buy a paperback

  • 文庫を借りるbun ko o ka ri ru

    borrow a paperback

Similar words

文庫本bunkohon: A paperback book in a compact Japanese format, commonly issued as an affordable edition.
ペーパーバックpēpābakku: A book with a flexible paper cover rather than a hard cover.

Definition in Japanese

本を収めた書庫や蔵書、または携帯向きに小型化した本。hon o osa me ta sho ko ya zō sho ma ta wa kei tai mu ki ni ko gata ka shi ta hon

Word origin

文庫 (bunko) is formed from 文 (bun, "writing") and 庫 (ko, "storehouse"); the original sense was a storehouse or collection of books, which led to the modern paperback sense.

Usage tips

  • The paperback sense is closely linked to 文庫本 (bunko bon), a common term for compact editions that are easy to carry and often lower in price than hardbacks.

Other meanings

  • librarynoun
  • book collectionnoun

Related words

  • 文庫化bunkokapaperback releasenoun

Word lists with this word