Understand Japanese Through Manga
Japanese with Manga is a learning aid for people studying Japanese, using real manga examples. Each example starts with context and a panel, and explains the grammar, vocabulary, kanji, or expression used in the scene.
See How Examples Work
Every example pairs a manga panel with its dialogue and an explanation of the Japanese used in the scene. Here is the newest one:

Mizuho-sensei is a new teacher. During her student teaching in Tokyo, a class survey called her lessons boring, and she wants her first graders to have fun. Today she is leading them on a school exploration. In the music room, the children crowd around the grand piano, and Sami asks whether it plays any songs. Mizuho-sensei sees her chance. She sits down at the piano, offers to play, and asks the class for requests.
- みずほ先生:
- 「フフフ… この日のために子供の好きな童謡から流行の曲まで練習してきましたよ!!」
- “Heh heh heh... For this day, I've practiced everything from the nursery rhymes kids love to the latest hits!!”
- みずほ先生:
- 「よっしゃアー!!!」
- “Yeahhh!!!”
- ◯:
- 「夜な夜な練習するみずほ先生」
- “Mizuho-sensei, practicing night after night”
- サミ:
- 「えーーと… じゃあーー…」
- “Ummm... Okay, then...”
Choose Your Next Step
- Get ready for native manga
Check your kana, grammar, vocabulary, and kanji preparation. - Choose a beginner-friendly series
Compare furigana, word density, vocabulary counts, and story settings. - Learn a practical reading process
Start with the site’s guide to building Japanese reading ability.
Study Japanese in Context
- Japanese grammar through manga
120 explanations of particles, conjugations, conditionals, sentence endings, and other patterns in context. - Japanese vocabulary through manga
30 explanations of word meanings, forms of address, casual usage, and common expressions. - Kanji through manga vocabulary
102 kanji with character meanings and words, grouped by school grade, estimated JLPT level, or WaniKani level. - Japanese idioms and expressions
26 phrases whose full meaning may not follow from their individual words. - Examples by manga series
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The newest manga examples and explanations added to the site.