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

Kimetsu no Yaiba is based on the manga series by Koyoharu Gotoge, published in Shueisha’s Weekly Jump from February 2016-May 2020. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 28 June 2025

The feature, the first in a trilogy, represents the final arc of the hugely popular, award-winning anime shonen series, itself based on the manga series by artist Koyoharu Gotoge. —Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 June 2025

Gongora, who directed and handled compositing for the scene, said much of the sequence’s abstract imagery came from the original manga. —Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 6 June 2025

His influences range from Renaissance art and Rothko to manga and futurist architecture, filtered through the countercultural attitude of punk and early indie comics. —Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 18 June 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