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

In the original manga, Ryoko Tamiya is a parasite who takes over the body of a high school teacher. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 July 2026

Back when the manga was originally released, the only thing fans could buy were extremely expensive and delicate garage kits of things like a Fuchikoma. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

In the original manga, Ryoko Tamiya is a parasite who takes over the body of a high school teacher, initially violent and indiscriminate before gradually learning from her human surroundings. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 July 2026

Whereas the original season’s novelty came from transplanting Iwaaki’s classic manga to a South Korean setting, the new chapter is said to burrow more deeply into the original source material. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 22 July 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