Manga, Manhwa and Manhua: What’s the Difference in Plain Words

These three words are easy to confuse, and there’s no need to: they come from the same root. According to Wikipedia, manga, manhwa and manhua mean “comics” in Japanese, Korean and Chinese respectively, and the characters used to write them overlap. These are related words, so the differences lie not in the name but in the country, the traditions and the format. Below we go through each of the three based on Wikipedia pages checked on October 14, 2026.

Quick comparison

	Manga	Manhwa	Manhua
Country	Japan	Korea	China and Chinese-speaking regions (Hong Kong, Taiwan)
Word in the original language	漫画	만화 (hanja 漫畫)	漫画 or 漫畫
How it is read	Traditionally right to left	Books usually left to right; webtoons scroll vertically	In mainland China left to right; in Taiwan and Hong Kong right to left
Color	Usually black and white	Often in color online; print is black and white	Mostly in color
What Wikipedia mentions	Magazines Weekly Shōnen Jump, Magazine, Sunday	Full House, Goong (Princess Hours)	Sanmao (1935), Old Master Q

The table is simplified: exceptions occur in every column, and the nuances are described below.

Where the words came from

The word “manga” came into use in 1798 thanks to the illustrated book “Shiji no yukikai” by Santō Kyōden, and in its modern sense it was first used by Rakuten Kitazawa (1876–1955). In Korea, the first comic magazine, “Manhwa Haengjin,” was launched by Kim Yong-hwan in 1948, although it was quickly shut down. As for the Chinese “manhua,” according to Wikipedia it was used as early as 18th-century illustrated painting, and Feng Zikai brought it back into circulation in 1925 for modern cartoons. So each tradition has its own history, even though the words are shared.

Manga: Japan

The word “manga” is written as 漫画, where the first character means something like “whimsical, improvised” and the second means “pictures.” Manga is usually printed in large magazines: each story continues in the next issue. The chapters are then collected into books called tankōbon, often in paperback. Among well-known magazines, Wikipedia names Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Shōnen Magazine and Weekly Shōnen Sunday.

How to read manga if you’ve never done it: hold the book with the cover facing you, so the spine ends up on the right. Turn the pages from right to left, and read the panels also from right to left and from top to bottom. The first few pages take some getting used to, and then your eye adapts.

The main differences a reader will notice:

• Direction of reading. Traditionally stories are read from top to bottom and from right to left, so the book opens “from the end” (from our point of view). Wikipedia notes that some editions are “mirrored” and laid out left to right, although critics say this can change the artwork and the text.
• Color. Manga is usually black and white: because of time, artistic effect and cheaper printing. There are full-color editions too, but they are the exception.
• Series and volumes. The story is usually read in chapters, and the book is bought when a volume is released.

Manhwa: Korea

Manhwa (만화) is the general Korean word for comics, and outside the country this term is usually applied specifically to Korean comics. Wikipedia notes that many people confuse manga and manhwa.

According to Wikipedia, manhwa is read horizontally, left to right, like English books, because Korean is usually written horizontally; it can also be read vertically. The best-known modern form of manhwa is the webtoon.

Webtoons

A webtoon is the digital form of manhwa. The word combines “web” and “cartoon.” According to Wikipedia, these are episodic digital comics created in South Korea and designed mainly for reading on smartphones. Each episode is published as one long vertical strip on an “infinite canvas” instead of as separate pages. They are usually in color, and some include music and animation.

The first webtoon-format services appeared in the early 2000s: Daum Webtoon launched in 2003 and Naver in 2004. The international version of the WEBTOON platform started in 2014, and in July 2014 Line began publishing English translations of popular webtoons.

Manhua: China and Chinese-speaking regions

Manhua are Chinese-language comics created in mainland China. They are written with traditional (漫畫) or simplified (漫画) characters, and these same characters are used both in Japanese manga and in Korean manhwa.

There are two practical nuances:

1. Direction of reading. According to Wikipedia, manhua from mainland China set the text horizontally and are read left to right, like Western comics. Taiwanese and Hong Kong editions set the text vertically and are read right to left, like manga. So before reading, look at the layout rather than relying on the name.
2. Color. Most manhua are full color.

Wikipedia also notes that Hong Kong became the main market for manhua as immigration from China grew, and that its market has been separate from the mainland’s since the 1950s. Examples in the article include Sanmao (1935, by Zhang Leping) and Old Master Q, an early Hong Kong character.

How to choose where to start

Start with the format, not the title. If it’s more convenient to read on your phone on the subway, a webtoon is the right choice. If you want a “paper” feel and short chapters, pick manga in volumes. For the labels such as shōnen or seinen that appear in manga, read our explainer on anime genres, and for American superhero comics see our selection of Marvel and DC. And among standalone books that can be read without sequels, look in our selection of graphic novels.

Frequently asked questions

Are manga and anime the same thing?

No. Manga are comics, and anime is animation. Many anime are based on manga, such as “Death Note,” but not all of them: “Steins;Gate” was created from a 2009 visual novel.

Is all manga black and white?

Usually, yes: according to Wikipedia, it is printed in black and white because of time, artistic effect and printing cost. Full-color editions exist, but there are fewer of them.

How is a webtoon different from a regular comic?

By format. A webtoon comes out in episodes as one vertical strip for a smartphone, it is usually in color, and some episodes include music and animation.

Can you read manga from left to right?

Yes, if the edition is “mirrored.” But Wikipedia notes that critics consider this format less successful, because it can change the artwork and the text.

What is a tankōbon?

It is a collected volume into which the publisher gathers manga chapters that were previously printed in a magazine. According to Wikipedia, such volumes often come in paperback. These are usually the ones readers buy if they don’t follow the weekly magazine.

Why are manhwa and manga so often confused?

Because the words are related, the characters overlap, and at first glance the two traditions can look alike. Wikipedia explicitly notes that many people mix up these terms. It’s best to tell them apart by country of origin and format: manga is traditionally black-and-white and printed, while manhwa is known first of all in the form of webtoons, which are usually in color.