manga

noun

man·​ga ˈmäŋ-gə 

plural manga also mangas

: Japanese comic books and graphic novels considered collectively as a genre

The characters' faces beam the big-eyed, manically jolly winsomeness that in anime and manga signals contentment.

—Peter Schjeldahl

also : an individual comic book or graphic novel of the manga genre

This black-and-white manga is based on the Japanese animated TV series of the same name …

—Library Journal

Examples of manga in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The first film in a trilogy based on the 'Infinity Castle’ story arc of a manga comic book series, Demon Slayer is also a direct sequel to the fourth season of the Netflix anime series with the same name. —Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025

In total, that franchise currently includes a five-year manga cycle, a four-season television series, and several other original films and feature-length compilations. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025

Directed by Haruo Sotozaki, Infinity Castle adapts the final arc of Koyoharu Gotouge’s best-selling manga series. —Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 13 Sep. 2025

The manga first appeared in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987 and racked up a cumulative circulation of over 120 million copies. —Sara Merican, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Japanese, comic, cartoon, from man- involuntary, aimless + -ga picture

First Known Use

circa 1951, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for manga

• ganga
• pampanga

Kids Definition

manga

noun

man·​ga ˈmäŋ-gə 

: a Japanese comic book or graphic novel