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

Distributed by Megabox Central and adapted from the coming-of-age one-shot manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the Venice competition title tracks the evolving artistic bond and tragedy shared by two small-town manga creators. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

His musical imagination was shaped not only by metal and punk, but by manga, videogames, professional wrestling, and the examples of Korn and Linkin Park. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 12 Oct. 2026

Data on performance by country, digital manga reporting, and, for the first time, data from MyAnimeList — the world’s largest online anime and manga database — will be available. — Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Leading the pack is the new volume of World Trigger, Ashihara’s sci-fi action manga, which tops brick-and-mortar sales and e-books. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, 9 Oct. 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