Murasaki Shikibu

American

[moo-rah-sah-kee shee-kee-boo] / ˈmu rɑˈsɑ ki ˈʃi kiˌbu /

noun

Lady, 978?–1031?, Japanese poet and novelist.

Murasaki Shikibu British

/ ˌmʊərɑːˈsɑːkiː ˈʃiːkiːˌbuː /

noun

11th-century Japanese court lady, author of The Tale of Genji, perhaps the world's first novel

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The rivals in question are Sei Shōnagon and Murasaki Shikibu.

From Seattle Times • May 10, 2024

Widely considered the world’s first novel, Genji was composed in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman and lady-in-waiting in the Heian Court.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

Oh, and it was written by a woman, Murasaki Shikibu.

From The New Yorker • Apr. 19, 2019

Oscar Wilde, to keep the conversation going, Jane Austen and Murasaki Shikibu.

From New York Times • Mar. 1, 2018

Murasaki Shikibu was a lady of noble birth.

From Oriental Women by Pollard, Edward Bagby

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023