manga

noun

man·​ga ˈmäŋ-gə How to pronounce manga (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That random coffee shop that had the most exquisite collection of Arita porcelain and stacks of explicit manga. — Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 10 June 2026 Making an adaptation which more closely resembled the look of Shirow’s manga series was decided early on. — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 24 June 2026 Yet, looking past that, the following 40 titles were mostly manga published prior to 2000. — Kalai Chik, Forbes.com, 4 June 2026 Mother pleads for help finding son His mother asked community members to check hotels, hostels, capsule hotels, internet cafés, manga cafés, train stations, convenience stores, hiking areas, rivers, shrines and other places. — Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for manga

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1951, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of manga was circa 1951

Rhymes for manga

See All Rhymes for manga

Browse Nearby Words

mang
manga
mangabeira
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Manga.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/manga. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

manga

noun
man·​ga ˈmäŋ-gə How to pronounce manga (audio)
: a Japanese comic book or graphic novel

More from Merriam-Webster on manga

Nglish: Translation of manga for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about manga

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