The Difference Between Manga, Manhwa and Manhua

First of all, let me start off by explaining what the words mean. The terms “manga” and “manhwa” originate from the Chinese term “manhua”, which means “impromptu drawings”. “Impromptu” means something unplanned and that’s how the authors liked and still like to address their work.

Manhua, manga and manhwa compared next to each other (In that order)

The creators of these East Asian comics also have specific titles: a person who makes manga is called a “mangaka”, a person who makes manhwa is a “manhwaga” and a person who makes manhua is called a “manhuajia”. These terms were used in Japan (manga), Korea (manhwa) and China (manhua), as general terms for all comics.

Gege Akutami (A famous mangaka who’s manga got turned into an anime and awarded The Best Crunchyroll Anime of 2023. I’m way too excited for season 3 >x<)

 In mid-20th century Japan, the popularity of manga skyrocketed with the Godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka, the creator of Astro boy. During the American Occupation, American soldiers brought European and American comics with them, which inspired manga creators’ style and creativity.

Osamu Tezuka and his manga

Manhwa has its own story of development, although it’s tied to that of Japanese manga. During the Japanese occupation of Korea, Japanese soldiers brought their culture, language and the importation of manga into Korean society. Manhwa became popular in the 1950s, but then experienced a decline in the 1960s. However, manhwa made a comeback when South Korea launched websites that publish digital manhwa known as webtoons.

Solo Leveling (a famous manhwa which got turned into an anime)

When it comes to manhwa vs. manhua, the main difference is that the former originates from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Manhua is said to have started in the early 20th century, with the introduction of the lithographic printing process. Manhuajias began self-publishing their work on webcomic platforms and social media.

The King’s Avatar (a famous Chinese manhua)

There are a lot of other facts for me to tell you – but I don’t have to. If I were to do that, this article would go on forever and, plus, you can find out more online. There’s stuff like the artwork and text, more of the history of East Asian comics, as well as how anime blurs the lines between manga, manhua and manhwa. One example is donghua, which is easily confused with Japanese true anime.

Characters from Japanese manga

I hope you found my article helpful and I hope it inspired you to indulge into East Asian comics. I’d like to give you some recommendations: if you’re into action and prefer Japanese comics then I’d recommend Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Black Clover, One piece, Bleach, Naruto, Attack on Titan and Chainsaw man. For sports, I’d recommend Kuroko’s Basketball, Blue Lock, Slam Dunk, Haikyu. They’re also Japanese manga and/or anime, but if you’d like to know more about manhua and manhwa, I suggest you search stuff up online… or you could interview me! I love to yap about these things to people who barely understand what I’m talking about, so feel free to ask me anything!