manga

noun man·ga \ ˈmäŋ-gə \

|Updated on: 4 Aug 2018

Definition of manga

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

Recent Examples of manga from the Web

The film, based off a Japanese manga character, sparked a petition to recast her in the role.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Scarlett Johansson drops transgender role after backlash: report," 13 July 2018
She was accused of whitewashing the character, which was based off of a Japanese manga character.

— lydia price, PEOPLE.com, "10 Controversial Movies That Got Everyone Talking ... Before They Were Even Released," 5 July 2018
The series compositions for Hanebad! is being handled by Taku Kishimoto, who not only did the series composition for the best modern sports anime Haikyu!, but also for Erased and 91 Days, which are both excellent manga adaptations.

— michael moore, The Verge, "Eight new anime shows to check out this summer," 29 June 2018
Controversially, Johansson was accused of whitewashing her character, which was based on a popular character from Japanese manga.

— amy mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Scarlett Johansson Faces Major Backlash for Being Cast as a Trans Man in a New Movie," 4 July 2018
Fans of the manga began a petition to recast her in 2015.

— alexia fernandez, PEOPLE.com, "Scarlett Johansson Dismisses Criticism Over Her Decision to Play Transgender Man in New Film," 3 July 2018
The film will be directed by Rupert Sanders, according to the Hollywood Reporter, who is the director behind Ghost in the Shell, the 2016 movie which was heavily criticized for its whitewashing of a popular Japanese manga series.

— allie gemmill, Teen Vogue, "Scarlett Johansson Will Reportedly Play a Trans Man in New Movie "Rub & Tug"," 3 July 2018
Tuesday Anime Club: Come watch anime, eat Japanese snacks, read manga, and sketch your favorite characters after school at the library.

— Lake County News-Sun, "Calendar: Take a trip back to World War I battlefields at Lake Forest Library event," 27 May 2018
Nintendo is releasing a gold and red Famicom Mini in Japan that comes preloaded with 20 games that are based on manga, as spotted by Kotaku.

— shannon liao, The Verge, "Nintendo is making a special edition Famicom Mini loaded with manga games," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'manga.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of manga

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1951

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Publishing Terms

annotate, dreadful, emend, expurgate, factoid, jump, lobster shift, redaction, referee

MANGA Defined for Kids

manga

noun man·ga \ ˈmäŋ-gə \

Definition of manga for Students

: a Japanese comic book or graphic novel

Learn More about manga

Spanish Central: Translation of manga Nglish: Translation of manga for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about manga

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manga

Definition of manga

Recent Examples of manga from the Web

Origin and Etymology of manga

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MANGA Defined for Kids

manga

Definition of manga for Students

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manga

Definition of manga

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Origin and Etymology of manga

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