manga
Americannoun
-
mangas
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of manga
1985–90; < Japanese: literally, cartoon, comic strip
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How does manga compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Manga is a Japanese style of comic books and graphic novels. Astro Boy and Dragon Ball are examples of popular manga. Manga is sold around the world and translated into dozens of languages, but it's mainly published in Japan, where it's popular with all ages of readers. In Japanese, manga literally translates to "involuntary pictures," but the word is used to describe both comics and cartooning. Western fans of manga recognize its distinctive style, with impressionistic backgrounds and big-eyed characters. Most manga is read from right to left, like Japanese writing.
Vocabulary lists containing manga
English Words Derived from Japanese
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Kwame Crashes the Underworld
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
There’s a stacked manga gallery for fans of that genre too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the move as on a scale not seen "since Disneyland Paris", and added "you know my interest for manga".
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The discovery has significance beyond its memorable connection to manga.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Having the event in November will allow people to go all-out, said his performance partner Krizel Guiral, or "Zhel", dressed as Youko Kurama, the red-headed fox demon from the same Japanese manga and anime classic.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
As they got closer, Dimple saw that Kevin’s booth was dedicated to comics and manga.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
The same would later be true with automobiles, gadgetry and — for fans of “Demon Slayer,” “One Piece” and other mangas — cartoons, to name just those few.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 7, 2021
Japan discovered its first element, nihonium, No. 113, in 2004, and Chapman reports that Japanese children read mangas dramatizing the work of the country’s top nuclear physicist, Kosuke Morita.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 27, 2019
We rose at five, dressed by candlelight, took chocolate, put on our mangas, and then planted ourselves in the passage looking down upon the patio, to watch the proceedings and preparations.
From Life in Mexico by Madame (Frances Erskine Inglis) Calderón de la Barca
Some strutted around the yard, swinging their bright mangas, or trailing after them the picturesque serape.
From The Rifle Rangers by Mayne Reid
We see mangas and tilmas, and men wearing the sandal, as in Eastern lands.
From The Scalp Hunters by F.A. Stewart
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
