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

That random coffee shop that had the most exquisite collection of Arita porcelain and stacks of explicit manga. —Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026

Mother pleads for help finding son His mother asked community members to check hotels, hostels, capsule hotels, internet cafés, manga cafés, train stations, convenience stores, hiking areas, rivers, shrines and other places. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Pick up your copy of the manga at the front desk. —Ramona Sentinel, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026

Hayashida’s manga ran for 18 years across 23 volumes starting in 2000, building an international cult readership on the strength of its grotesque body horror, deadpan humor and bleak surrealist worldbuilding. —Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026

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