Web Novel Terminology: A Glossary for Confused Readers

Someone recommended a story with "OP MC, slow burn, xianxia, completed, no harem."

If that sentence made no sense, this guide is for you.

Character Terms

MC - Main Character. The protagonist. The person whose story we're following.

FL - Female Lead. The main female character (often love interest in romance-focused stories).

ML - Male Lead. The main male character (counterpart to FL).

OP - Overpowered. A character with abilities far beyond normal. Can be positive ("power fantasy") or negative ("no tension").

Villain/Villainess - The antagonist. "Villainess" specifically for female villains, often in the context of villainess isekai where the FL was the villain in the original story.

Supporting Character - Important characters who aren't the MC. Sometimes shortened to "side character."

Story Status

Ongoing - Still being written/updated.

Completed - Finished. Has an ending.

Hiatus - Paused, but author might return.

Dropped/Abandoned - Author stopped with no intention to continue.

Axed - Cancelled by publisher/platform.

Genre Terms

LitRPG - Literature RPG. Fiction with game mechanics (stats, levels).

GameLit - Broader term for game-influenced fiction.

Xianxia - Chinese fantasy with cultivation and immortals.

Wuxia - Chinese martial arts fiction (more grounded than xianxia).

Isekai - Japanese term for "transported to another world."

Progression Fantasy - Fiction focused on characters getting stronger.

System Apocalypse - Earth gets game-like mechanics plus monsters.

Romance Terms

Slow Burn - Romance develops gradually over extended period.

Enemies to Lovers - Characters start as antagonists, become romantic.

Friends to Lovers - Friends develop romantic feelings.

Harem - MC has multiple love interests pursuing them.

Reverse Harem - Female MC with multiple male love interests.

Fade to Black - Sexual content implied but not described.

Smut - Explicit sexual content.

Platform Terms

WN - Web Novel.

LN - Light Novel (published, usually with illustrations).

Manhwa - Korean comics.

Manhua - Chinese comics.

Manga - Japanese comics.

MTL - Machine Translation. Automated translation (often rough).

Fan TL - Fan translation. Unofficial human translation.

Quality/Content Descriptors

Wish Fulfillment - Fantasy about getting what you want.

Power Fantasy - Fantasy about becoming powerful.

Mary Sue/Gary Stu - Unrealistically perfect character (usually criticism).

Plot Armor - Character survives because the plot needs them to.

Deus Ex Machina - Convenient solution appearing from nowhere.

Cultivation Specific

Qi - Life energy cultivators absorb and refine.

Dao - The Way. Fundamental truth cultivators comprehend.

Realm - Level of cultivation (Qi Condensation, Foundation, etc.).

Breakthrough - Advancing to the next realm.

Tribulation - Trial (usually lightning) when advancing realms.

Sect - Organization of cultivators.

Face - Reputation/honor. Losing face is serious.

Story Elements

Arc - A complete story segment within a larger narrative.

Filler - Content that doesn't advance the main plot.

Info Dump - Large amount of exposition at once.

Cliffhanger - Chapter ending at a suspenseful moment.

Time Skip - Jump forward in the timeline.

Flashback - Scene showing past events.

Common Tropes

Reincarnation - Being reborn as someone else.

Regression - Going back in time to redo events.

Transmigration - Soul moving to another world/body.

Face Slapping - Embarrassing someone who looked down on MC.

Tournament Arc - Characters compete in formal competition.

Training Arc - Extended period of character getting stronger.

Reading Culture

Patreon - Platform where authors offer advance chapters for payment.

Advanced Chapters - Chapters available to paying supporters before public release.

Webnovel - Both the format and a specific platform (Qidian's English site).

Royal Road - Popular platform for English web fiction.

Spirit Stones - Webnovel's virtual currency.

This Glossary Helps With

Reading discussions about stories. Understanding tags and recommendations. Finding what you want based on accurate terminology.

Knowing the terms also helps you communicate with other readers. When someone recommends "OP MC isekai with slow burn romance, no harem, completed," you'll know exactly what they mean—and whether it's what you want.

The terminology evolves constantly. New subgenres spawn new terms. Platforms develop their own slang. But these core terms have remained stable and will get you through most discussions.

Still Confused?

Web novel culture has its own language. Don't worry if some terms take time.

The best way to learn: start reading. Context teaches faster than definitions.

And if you want stories without navigating terminology, narrator lets you describe what you want in plain language. "Fantasy where the main character gets really strong" works fine.