4 Ways To Read Manga - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Read Manga PDF download Download Article Co-authored by Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber

Last Updated: April 30, 2025 Fact Checked

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  • Choosing Manga
    • |
  • Getting Started
    • |
  • Reading Panels
    • |
  • Reading Characters’ Emotions
    • |
  • Expert Interview
    • |
  • Q&A
    • |
  • Tips
|Show more |Show less X

This article was co-authored by Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber. Arklight Blues and Seacucumber Salad, also known as Ark Nemesis and Soap, are manga experts. Arklight Blues is a digital manga artist who began by emulating Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo style and later started working on an original manga. They are currently collaborating on the manga "Rauch". It was originally released on Webtoon and Cubari in 2023 and quickly reached the most popular spot of April 2023 on Shueisha’s MANGA Plus Creators section. The manga is ongoing, having completed its first volume in 2024 with the second one well underway. Known as Arklight Blues on social media, she created a community of over 110k followers and can be found on Instagram @arklight_blues and X (formerly known as Twitter) @ArkNemesis5. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,067,404 times.

Manga is a style of Japanese comic. However, reading manga is different than reading a comic, book, or magazine in English. Manga is read in a right-to-left, then up-to-down. Correctly interpreting the panel elements and exploring the characters' emotions by familiarizing yourself with common emotional iconography will help you get the most from your manga.

Reading Manga: Overview

Read manga panels from right-to-left and top-to-bottom, says manga expert Arklight Blues. The same goes for dialogue boxes within specific panels. Additionally, follow the characters' changing emotions, as indicated in the manga's artwork, to better understand the story.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 4:

Choosing Manga

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  1. Step 1 Learn about the different types of manga. 1 Learn about the different types of manga. There are five major types of manga. Seinen is also referred to as men’s manga. Women’s manga is known as josei. Shojo is girls’ manga, while shonen is boys’ manga. And children’s manga is called kodomo.[1]
  2. Step 2 Explore the many genres of manga. 2 Explore the many genres of manga. Manga has many genres, covering numerous topics and themes. Some of the most common manga genres include action, mystery, adventure, romance, comedy, slice of life, science fiction, fantasy, gender bender, historical, harem, and mecha. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Learn about some popular manga series. 3 Learn about some popular manga series. Before you get started on reading your first manga, take some time to explore popular series. Some popular science fiction series include "Shonen Jump", Ghost in the Shell and Akira.[2] Well-known fantasy series include Dragon Ball and Pokémon Adventures. Love Hina is a popular slice of life manga series, and Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 is a series that is a mix of mecha and science fiction.[3]
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Method 2 Method 2 of 4:

Getting Started

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  1. Step 1 Select manga that suits your interests and personality. 1 Select manga that suits your interests and personality. After you explore the different types and genres of manga and familiarize yourself with some popular series, it’s time to make a decision about what type of manga you’ll be reading. Go with your gut and choose something that really excites you![4]
  2. Step 2 Begin with the first manga in the series. 2 Begin with the first manga in the series. More often than not, manga are serialized and contain many stories. Make sure you start with the first story and work your way through the series chronologically. If a series is popular enough, its episodes might be published together in a collected volume. The issue and series are usually printed on the cover.
  3. Step 3 Lay the book down with the spine on the right side. 3 Lay the book down with the spine on the right side. Manga should be read with the magazine or book spine on the right. As you lay the manga down on a table, make sure the leaf ends are on the left and the spine is positioned to the right. This is "backwards" compared to English books.
  4. Step 4 Start on the side with the title, author’s name, and edition. 4 Start on the side with the title, author’s name, and edition. It’s important that you begin reading manga on the correct side.[5] The front cover will usually contain the title of the manga along with the name of the author or authors. Flip the manga over if you come across a warning that says, “You’re reading the wrong way!”
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Method 3 Method 3 of 4:

Reading Panels

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  1. Step 1 Read panels from right to left and in an up to down sequence. 1 Read panels from right to left and in an up to down sequence. Like the pages of manga, individual panels should be read in a right to left sequence. Start reading each page by beginning with the panel that is in the upper right hand corner of the page. Read right to left and when you reach the edge of the page, go to the panel in the far-right of the following row of panels.
    • If the panels are all arranged vertically, begin with the topmost panel.
    • Even if the panels don't line up perfectly, stick to the right to left rule. Begin with the highest row or column and make your way - right to left - to the lowest row or column.
    Follow the right sequence for clarity. "As someone who read manga over 20 years ago, I had forgotten the right sequence for reading panels. This article clearly explained the right-to-left panel order, helping me regain clarity on the storylines." - Sarah S. Interpret characters' emotions for immersion. "I love manga but often missed emotional cues from characters. Learning to read blushing, sighs, and more from this guide let me immerse myself in the stories." - Maka A. Apply panel reading tips for enjoyment. "I struggled with following manga plots as a beginner. Using the exact panel and sequence reading tips here, I now read manga smoothly without losing the storyline." - Frankie S. Gain essential knowledge to start strong. "With zero background in manga, I found all explanations here—from genres to panel orders—extremely clear. I gained vital starter knowledge to pick series matching my taste." - Erci N. Have a story our readers should hear? Share it with 1 billion+ annual wikiHow users. Tell us your story here.
  2. Step 2 Read dialog balloons from right to left and up to down. 2 Read dialog balloons from right to left and up to down. Dialog balloons, which contain conversational text between characters, should also be read in a right to left sequence. Begin in the upper right hand corner of the individual panel and read the dialog balloons from right to left, and then up to down.
  3. Step 3 Read black panel backgrounds as a flashback. 3 Read black panel backgrounds as a flashback. When a manga panel has a background that is black, it is usually indicating that the events illustrated in the panel happened prior to the story being depicted in the manga. Black backgrounds signal a flashback to an earlier event or time period.
  4. Step 4 Read fading panel backgrounds as a transition from the past to the present. 4 Read fading panel backgrounds as a transition from the past to the present. A page that contains a panel with a black background at the top, then panels with fading shades of gray, and finally a panel with a white background is depicting a time shift from the past (black panel) to the present (white panel).
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Method 4 Method 4 of 4:

Reading Characters’ Emotions

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  1. Step 1 Read a sigh bubble as an expression of relief or a character’s exasperation. 1 Read a sigh bubble as an expression of relief or a character’s exasperation. Oftentimes manga characters will be illustrated with an empty dialogue bubble at or below their mouth. This indicates that character is sighing, and can be interpreted as either relief or exasperation.[6]
  2. Step 2 Interpret lines across a character’s facial area as blushing. 2 Interpret lines across a character’s facial area as blushing. Manga characters are often depicted as blushing with lines sketched across the nose and cheeks. Interpret these expressions as illustrations of a character being embarrassed, overjoyed, or even having romantic feelings toward another character.
  3. Step 3 Read a nose bleed as lust, not injury. 3 Read a nose bleed as lust, not injury. When a manga character appears on page with a nosebleed, this usually means they are having lustful thoughts about another character or are gazing lustfully at another character, usually a beautiful woman.[7]
  4. Step 4 Interpret a sweat drop as embarrassment. 4 Interpret a sweat drop as embarrassment. Sometimes a sweat drop may appear near a character’s head. This usually indicates the character is embarrassed or feeling extremely uncomfortable in a given situation. This is usually less severe than the embarrassment depicted by blushing.[8]
  5. Step 5 Read facial shadows and dark auras as anger, irritability, or depression. 5 Read facial shadows and dark auras as anger, irritability, or depression. When a manga character appears in a panel with a purple, gray, or black blob or shadow floating in the background, this is usually indicative of the negative energy surrounding the character.[9]
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Do I read manga on the internet from right to left? Community Answer Community Answer You read it right to left, or else you'll miss some important scenes in the conversation and then get really confused. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 25 Helpful 165
  • Question Is there any way I can get it the American way on paper? Community Answer Community Answer Yes, but not for all manga. Some are flipped to fit the "American way," but most times, the backgrounds are flipped and it doesn't look right. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 14 Helpful 76
  • Question Do I read it right to left on an iPad/iPhone on the manga app? Community Answer Community Answer Yes. Manga apps I've seen are often scanlations of Japanese manga and translated. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 15 Helpful 49
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Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
  • If you want to find manga but don't know where, go to the public library and ask the librarian where the manga are. If you still haven't found a manga that you might like, place a hold on a manga series that you have either seen in an anime or is based on an anime you like from another library. If you still have questions, you can go to other sites/sources to find more information.
  • Be careful not to read the panels out of order. Sometimes the back of the manga will have a graph to show how they are supposed to be read.
  • Manga may be difficult to get used to reading, but remember that it’s definitely worth it!
Submit a Tip All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published Name Please provide your name and last initial Submit Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about manga creation, check out our in-depth interview with Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.nypl.org/blog/2018/12/27/beginners-guide-manga
  2. ↑ Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber. Digital Manga Artist and Manga Expert. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ https://techaeris.com/2022/12/29/manga-101-how-to-start-reading-manga/
  4. ↑ https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/8-manga-genres-you-need-know
  5. ↑ https://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/file/Graphic%20Novels/How%20to%20Read%20Manga%20copy.pdf
  6. ↑ Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber. Digital Manga Artist and Manga Expert. Expert Interview
  7. ↑ https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Nosebleed
  8. ↑ https://animeartmagazine.com/what-are-manpu-anime-and-manga-comic-symbols-and-how-to-use-them-right-part-1/
  9. ↑ https://animeartmagazine.com/what-are-manpu-anime-and-manga-comic-symbols-and-how-to-use-them-right-part-1/

About This Article

Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber Co-authored by: Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber Digital Manga Artist and Manga Expert This article was co-authored by Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber. Arklight Blues and Seacucumber Salad, also known as Ark Nemesis and Soap, are manga experts. Arklight Blues is a digital manga artist who began by emulating Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo style and later started working on an original manga. They are currently collaborating on the manga "Rauch". It was originally released on Webtoon and Cubari in 2023 and quickly reached the most popular spot of April 2023 on Shueisha’s MANGA Plus Creators section. The manga is ongoing, having completed its first volume in 2024 with the second one well underway. Known as Arklight Blues on social media, she created a community of over 110k followers and can be found on Instagram @arklight_blues and X (formerly known as Twitter) @ArkNemesis5. This article has been viewed 1,067,404 times. 210 votes - 85% Co-authors: 55 Updated: April 30, 2025 Views: 1,067,404 Categories: Manga | Reading Article SummaryX

To read Manga, lay the book down with the spine to the right, opposite of how English books are read. To read the dialogue panels, move from right to left and in an up to down sequence. However, if you come across a panel with a black background, interpret it as a flashback. Also, if you encounter a panel with a fading background, read the scene as a transition from the past to the present. For tips on how to read characters’ emotions, keep reading! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Reader Success Stories

  • Sarah S.

    Sarah S.

    Jun 5, 2019

    "As someone who read manga over 20 years ago, I had forgotten the right sequence for reading panels. This article..." more
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Did this article help you?

Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber Co-authored by: Arklight Blues and Sea Cucumber Digital Manga Artist and Manga Expert Co-authors: 55 Updated: April 30, 2025 Views: 1,067,404 85% of readers found this article helpful. 210 votes - 85% Click a star to add your vote Sarah S.

Sarah S.

Jun 5, 2019

"As someone who read manga over 20 years ago, I had forgotten the right sequence for reading panels. This article..." more Erci N.

Erci N.

Jan 3, 2017

"With zero background in manga, I found all explanations here—from genres to panel orders—extremely clear. I..." more Frankie S.

Frankie S.

Mar 17, 2017

"I struggled with following manga plots as a beginner. Using the exact panel and sequence reading tips here, I now..." more Rated this article: Maka A.

Maka A.

Apr 14, 2017

"I love manga but often missed emotional cues from characters. Learning to read blushing, sighs, and more from this..." more Elise Hawk

Elise Hawk

Dec 13, 2016

"The arrows depicting what direction to read it in really made the article clearer." Share yours! More success stories Hide success stories

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Tag » How To Read Japanese Manga