8485


So lately I have been noticing that a lot of people on fora tend to mistake
manga and manhwa. And of course, I know that manga stands for comics made in
Japan, and manhwa for comics made in Korea.

But what is the reason for the different naming? Or is there even a reason
besides them coming from different lands to begin with?

In the end they are both comics with usually (a bit dependent on the
artist/writer of course) same art/story building and the like.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-04T15:15:46.560
8475
2023-03-28T17:05:16.887
2023-03-28T17:05:16.887
63
1458
question
terminology
Why are there different words for "manga" and "manhwa"?


Briefly: _manhwa_ is the Korean reading of the word 漫画, while _manga_ is the
Japanese reading.1 In their respective languages, both words basically mean
the same thing - "comics". In English, we use the Korean reading _manhwa_ to
refer to Korean comics, and the Japanese reading _manga_ to refer to Japanese
comics.

Why do we have different words for these things? **Because manhwa and manga
are _not_ the same thing.**

* * *

To explain what I mean, let me backtrack a bit and talk about why we don't
just call manga "comics". I know that these days there's something of a
backlash against the idea that "manga" is a distinct thing from "comics",
presumably a reaction against '90s-era weeabooism and orientalism that
identifies Japanese art as some sort of elevated form that is beyond
comparison with the art of the West.

There is a kernel of truth in this backlash, but it's been taken too far.
Reasonable people today will probably agree that there isn't anything about
manga that makes them inherently _superior_ to Western comics - but it is
certainly the case that manga and Western comics are _different_. In fact,
aside from being of the same medium, manga and Western comics (for the most
part) have essentially nothing in common! Art styles, typical plots / subject
matter, character archetypes, form factors, publication methodologies, etc.
all differ between manga and Western comics.

Now, manhwa and manga are more closely related than manga and Western comics,
but the same principle still applies - there are salient differences between
the two forms, which is why we often talk about them using two different
words. Foremost among the differences is the fact that they're largely written
by two different groups of people, and thus tend to reflect the interests of
two different cultures. (Try telling a Korean person that their culture is
basically Japanese, or vice versa - they probably won't be happy!)

In closing, I will reply to this claim of yours:

> In the end they are both comics with usually (bit Dependant on the
> artist/writer off course) same art/story building and the likes.

There's more to art than just medium. Medium matters, but so does content, and
it would be a gross oversimplification to claim that content of manga and
manhwa are essentially the same.

* * *

### Notes

1 More or less, anyway, modulo issues of character simplification.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-04-04T22:13:05.643
8485
2014-04-04T22:13:05.643
2020-06-17T09:17:53.303
-1
1908
8475
answer


As [senshin's answer](https://anime.stackexchange.com/a/8485/2516) said:
though the medium might be the same, many things like processes, styles, story
writing, country, etc. are different.

**Conveying different art/writing styles**

In my opinion, it's not even just a matter of X artwork/writer coming from Y
country, but about how to convey the styles when introducing it to different
people that may/may not know the works. It is because calling all of them
"comics" would cause half the people to only get a vague idea about it if they
don't know the style & name of the works called in English & not
Japanese/Korean even if they accept that all works can be called "comics" in
English, just like comics are called "manhwa", etc. in their language.

But if you use the word "manga"/"manhwa"/"manhua", people are more likely to
be instantly conveyed of what style it is. So, the precision of words can give
either instant recognition or confusion. So, not calling everything (manga,
manhwa, manhua, chitra katha (Indian comics), webcomics/webtoons (webcomics on
Line webtoons/other apps)) as "comics" may reduce some confusion.

**Confusion due to generalization of comics**

Half people are going to be confused as to what people are talking about.

**Personal experience** : I know a person who I had to handle really carefully
because they thought I was talking about Marvel/DC (because they thought
webcomics = American comics (DC/Marvel) whose art styles they disliked.

_Generalization process_ : In America, those styles were more popular because
a lot of people preferred a ratio of more action & less depth/psychological
emotions back then, compared to mangas/manhwas. So, the same was more
popularized & distributed around the world too, sadly generalizing its format.

It took me a good amount of explaining & showing the photos carefully to make
them understand that no, it might be the comics as a medium, but comics as
American comics & manhuwas/manhwas are very different things. So, they don't
get totally averse to checking it out.

While even if they didn't know what manhwas were, they wouldn't have
automatically presumed I was talking about comics & might have shown a bit of
curiosity as long as I didn't use the word comics.

**Difference in contexts & perspectives**

So, we need to understand that the same word might mean something totally
different according to context & person's social conditioning.

**Alternatives**

The other alternative is to call them "American comics", "Korean comics",
"Japanese comics", "Indian comics", etc. But that's long & it's ok if you want
to introduce it to different people that don't know the words
manhuas/manhwas/mangas. Otherwise, just using their original countries' names
is easier even if you speak English.

_Global bending in of writers_. Works' names are not about the writer's origin
anymore as writers ―regardless of the country― make works of each other
country's style, e.g. Japanese writers may make manhwa-style webtoons &
American writers may make Korean-style webtoons & vice versa.

We can convey hybrid blend styles by just saying it's a mix of manhwa & manhua
(e.g. _The God of High School_ has a manhwa style artwork & anime/manga style
writing). That too doesn't need to be stated as much unless the work is too
different.

_What each main/subcategory term instantly signifies_. Anyway, just know that
when people say:

  * **Comics** , they think of DC/Marvel (with exception of webcomics/webtoon readers).
  * **Manga** reminds them of greyscale Japanese mangas.
  * **Manhwas** reminds them of older physical Korean manhwas (if speaking to Koreans) + webtoons/webcomics (for people that read them).
  * **Manhuas** reminds people of ancient Chinese historical kinds of webtoons/webcomics (literally historical Chinese drama turned into comics).
  * **Graphic novels** which are a bit different from comics as well.
  * **Light novels** in Japan are different from just novels in the west.

_Other causes of fuss: misnaming_. Many make a fuss because that's what
they're used to hearing & acknowledging it as. So, it feels like misnaming
something important they like/generalizing something unique.

_Imagine human misnaming that feels similar_ : like when people are annoyed a
bit when someone calls your name differently & that name is similar to someone
else's name once, then super annoyed when they keep hearing it as if that's
your real name.

It feels like misidentification/attack on your identity when another person
has no such intentions (usually unless someone's doing it deliberately for
teasing purposes).

_Generalized/over-simplified presumptions made about a work based on types of
works_. Imagine this conversation:

A: Hey, wanna read manhwas/webtoons?  
B: (doesn't know what it is via experience/imagery so they presume) Oh, it's
just comics, right? So, nah.

It hurts to hear that because American comics & mangas/hwas/huas may offer 4
completely different experiences. For many, manga/manhwas have been life-
changing experiences. So, it hurts them to see people presume it's something
they know & not a big deal without giving it a chance, even if it's nothing
personal.

E.g. people thinking some shounen anime is just superhero cartoons & if
they've already watched too many superhero movies/works, etc. they're tired of
that genre & ignoring it. When genre-wise they might be similar, _Bleach_ /
_Naruto_ / _One Piece_ / _My Hero Academia_ are different from _Superman_ /
_Batman_ / _Spiderman_ / _Green Arrow_. Some may like one more than the other,
but they can be substituted easily, though maybe some prefer _My Hero
Academia_ that's closest to superhero works.

_Comparison of superiority (sometimes unfair), another reason for fuss_.
Because though now American comics are online webtoons too & offer a lot more
than just DC/Marvel like comics, sadly they aren't as popular.

As many like/prefer/consider manhwa/manga styles better & though sometimes
it's true that manga/hwa/huas have better art style & diverse writing, it's
not always the case, and though unlike some people, I didn't look down
on/totally dislike American comics.

I used to wonder if American comics only have generic superhero stuff in it
with similar storylines & I wished for something different in art
styles/storylines. Though I knew that maybe there's a minority of different
works that, I don't know. That is until I read some chapters of many
underrated comics like _Sithrah_ / _Space Boy_ , _The Strange Tales of Oscar
Zahn_ , _Brothers Bond_ , etc. on Line Webtoon. They may still have that
original American messy, edgy styles which do suit them & make them unique
even if I still like manga/hwa/hua styles better.

_Diverse context-wise reasonings_. The point is, without context & asking the
person's reasoning for their beliefs/unless we know which of circumstances
they fit in, we can't fully presume just one reason as to know why they make a
fuss about it. We can only guess a bit according to the circumstances I gave
(whichever fits them better) & then ask their reasons.

_Online aggresion_. Some people getting excessively hyper about it & getting
too aggressive about it isn't ok.

_Middle ground/nuances_ : because I'm stating the reasons, both sides
understand each other's reasons & both change their approaches/find a middle
ground than insisting that they're right. People that want to call
subcategories by names have practical reasons apart from just
misnaming/respect/habit though. So, I personally prefer mentioning
subcategories. But it doesn't mean I'm going to be as fuming as some people if
someone missed it. Just that it'd cause me to type extra sentences & ask them
what kind of work they're talking about & it can be a confusing conversation
if someone calls every subcategory "comic"/"manga" due to misnaming. I hope
that people that get extremely angry when it's misnamed can understand why
other people say it too so they can strike a communication & explain why
proper naming may reduce confusion.

_Manga/anime are generalized too_ : yes, some people have a habit of calling
everything "picture story"/"animation related" a "manga"/"anime" because
similar to comics, that's a generalized word & because they don't know another
word for it. And when they're introduced, they aren't habitual to it enough,
so they forget.

e.g. animation style of/in:

  * America = cartoon
  * Japan = anime
  * Korea = aeini
  * China = donghua

But since only anime is worldwide popular today, succeeding cartoons people
use the word "anime" for aeini/donghuas too (which aren't as different as
cartoon & anime)

Hope I covered some other points other than which senshin made.

* * *

_Similar example of cartoon & anime_

**_Avatar the Last Airbender_ debate**

E.g. How there was a lot of debate over if _Avatar the Last Airbender_ is a
cartoon or an anime when it's a mix of both style-wise, like a cartoon-anime
hybrid, but there is no word for the blend, hence the confusion.

_Word for anime & cartoon hybrid blends_. I too was confused about what to
call it, cartoonime/animetoon/carnime... none, except "animetoon" came
naturally because maybe I've heard that word before somewhere. But calling it
a blend/hybrid of both suffices to explain what it is too. But most people
lean towards anime due to its style being so similar to anime. And I try to
add that it's a blend when I can so I don't discredit the cartoon side.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-03-24T13:48:19.733
67843
2023-03-24T14:59:27.107
2023-03-24T14:59:27.107
2516
71667
8475
answer