What’s The Difference Between Manga, Manhua & Manhwa?

If you like reading comics, you may already be familiar with the term ‘Manga.’ Along the way, you may also have come across the terms ‘Manhwa’ and ‘Manhua,’ which sound similar to manga. Some may think that they are the same, but, in reality, they are the South Korean and Chinese counterparts of Japan’s manga. While these terms may sound similar, they differ not only in origin but also in art styles, target audiences, and reading directions. Explore the unique characteristics of these three comic styles, going beyond their geographical roots.

What is the Difference Between Manga, Manhwa, and Manhua

Manga, Manhwa, and Manhua have different origins, art styles, and reading directions. Manga is from Japan, often printed in grayscale, and read from right to left. Manhwa is South Korean, available in colour, and read from left to right. Manhua is Chinese, has a more realistic style with simple backgrounds, and can be read from right to left or in a vertical layout. Each has its unique features and is worth exploring based on your preferences.

Characteristic	Manga	Manhwa	Manhua
Origin	Japan	Korea	China
Art style	Bold lines, exaggerated features, dynamic	Realistic, detailed, may incorporate elements of Western comics	Varies greatly, but often uses bright colours and intricate designs
Storytelling	Often fantastical or supernatural, can also be more serious and deal with complex themes	Often focuses on relationships, romance, drama, social issues, and mature themes	Often features martial arts, wuxia, historical fiction, romance, comedy, and drama
Readership	Popular with readers of all ages and genders	Popular with readers of all ages and genders, but often seen as being more mature than manga	Popular with readers of all ages and genders in China, but also gaining popularity in other parts of the world
Reading Pattern	Right to Left and Top to Bottom	Left to Right	Right to Left and Top to Bottom

Manga

Manga is so popular that it is also called Japan’s export to the world as Manga generates a massive amount of revenue for the Japanese economy. It has also become a prominent part of Japanese culture. Any person who has watched anime may also have heard of the term “Manga”. So one may ask what is manga?

In Short: Manga is a type of comic book or graphic novel that was originated in Japan.

History of Manga

Manga was first originated in 12th century Japan where it was just in the form of simple illustrations that were used to tell stories or convey religious teachings. Over time, manga evolved into a more complex and sophisticated art form.

Manga started gaining popularity in the 1920s to 1950s when it began to be published in newspapers and magazines. After that, it began to gain popularity worldwide leading it to become one of the most popular type of comics due its monochrome format.

Manga’s Artwork and Text Style

The art style of manga is heavily influenced by the works of the early creators such as Tezuka Osamu who drew his character with big eyes, small mouths and exaggerated expressions to highlight their feelings. One of the most distinguishing feature of the manga is that they are generally printed in grayscale colors other than special color spreads.

Manga General Conventions

1. Manga targets almost all kind of audience from kids to adults. Different genres such as shonen, seinen, shojo, etc target audience of different group.
2. The manga is read from right to left, and from top to bottom as with most of the Japanese text.
3. The person who draws the manga is called “Mangaka”.

Top 10 Popular Manga 2024

There are so many popular manga titles over time that it it’s impossible to list them here or to rank them. Unlike manhuas and manhwas, manga are primarily sold as the volumes or in magazines so it is not possible to get the accurate number of views. But here is the list of some mangas that gain popularity in the recent years.

1. Berserk
2. Goodnight Punpun
3. Vagabond
4. 20th Century Boys
5. Yotsuba&!
6. Real
7. Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
8. Land Of The Lustrous
9. One Piece
10. Vinland Saga

Note: Some of the biggest titles like one piece, jojo, naruto, etc. are left out to give other some chance.

Manhwa

Similar to manga, “Manhwa” is the name given to the comics of South Korean. Although, it is not as popular as manga, it is gaining popularity in the recent years due to some of its popular titles such as Solo Levelling, Tower of God, etc.

Manhwa History

Korea was under the Japanse Rule from (1910 – 1945) which lead to the heavy influence of Japnese culture in Korea which of course included Manga. Initially, it was used to spread patriotism but soon after liberation, it developed their own unique style. But unlike manga, the manhwa started gaining more popularity because of its availability on the digital platforms like Naver Webtoon.

Manhwa Artwork and Text Style

The art style of manhwa varies from simple to realistically detailed in constrast to manga. The manga was originally and still published as black and white but in platforms like webtoons, it is available as coloured digital art giving it more depth as compared to the manga.

Manhwa Color Style

There are many manhwa titles with millions of view on the online platforms like Naver and Webtoons. Some of the popular manhwa titles are:

1. Solo Levelling
2. The Horizon
3. Wind Breaker
4. Bastard
5. Who Made Me A Princess
6. The Boxer
7. Omniscent Reader’s Viewpoint
8. The Breaker
9. Eleceed
10. Tower of God

Manhwa General Conventions

1. Manhwa is also available in almost every genre such as action, romance, sports and many more.
2. Manhwa is read from left to right. In digital format, it is available in vertical layout pages.
3. The author of manhwa are called “Manhwaga”

Manhua

Manhua is the Chinese counterpart of the manga and manhwa and one of the most recent addition to the popular comic types. Influenced by both Chinese and Western culture mangua also stared gain popularity in the recent year due to the introduction of digital platforms.

Manhua History

Manhua origin is before the mahwa and just like manhwa it was initially used for the political propaganda. But the main problem for the manhua occurred due the heavy restrictions by the government after the Chinese revolution in 1949 which lead to the decline in the popularity of the manga. Since the launch of digital comic platform, it stared gaining popularity due to its easy accessibility to the fans worldwide.

Manhua Artwork and Text Style

Just like manhwa, manhua also pursue more realistic style but there is one major difference. The absence of detailed background. Most of the popular manhuas as simple background focusing more on the primary object. Also, manhuas comes in color format making them more pleasing for the eyes.

Manhua General Convention

1. The mahuas are read from right to left like manga but the digital formats have vertical layout like manhwa making it more fuelled. Also manhua produced in mainland China is read from left to right and in Hong Kong/Taiwan it is read from right to left.
2. The authors of manhua are called “Manhuajia”.

10 Must-Read Manhua

There are many manhua titles that are popular worldwide and also loved by manga fans.

1. Song Of The Long March
2. 1/2 Prince
3. 8 Once Again
4. 7 Lovely Everywhere
5. Martial Universe
6. The One
7. Doulou Dalu
8. The King’s Avatar
9. The Legend Of The Sun Knight
10. The Ravages Of Time

Conclusion

While there might be some similarities, manga, manhwa and manhua all have their distinct features which makes it worth it for the reader to explore. Althoght manhua and manhwa does not have as much international recognition as manga, they are catching up to manga due to their better utilization of the technology available such as coloured digital art, vertical layout, etc.

FAQs

What is the difference between anime and manga?

Anime refers to animated TV shows and movies, while manga refers to Japanese comic books or graphic novels. In short, anime is the animated form, and manga is the printed or illustrated form.

What is a Korean manga called?

A Korean manga is called “manhwa.” Manhwa refers to Korean comic books or graphic novels.

What is a Chinese manga called?

A Chinese manga is called “manhua.” Manhua refers to Chinese comic books or graphic novels.

What is manga called in India?

In India, manga is typically referred to as “manga” itself. The term is borrowed from the Japanese term for comic books.

What is American manga called?

American manga is often called “Amerimanga” or “original English-language manga (OEL manga).” These terms are used to describe comic books or graphic novels in a manga style that are created by artists outside of Japan.