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

Like the manga, this anime is also building towards the Puppet Master, and that will be fun to see play out. — Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Produced by the studio Kinema Citrus to celebrate the company’s 15th anniversary, the show is one of the rare anime with no (direct) source material from the manga world. — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

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

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

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