What is a manhua?

The Chinese name: 漫画 (mànhuà)

The word manhua literally translates from Chinese as “impromptu drawings” or “cartoons.” Written in simplified Chinese as 漫画 and in traditional characters as 漫畫, the term shares its roots with Japanese manga (漫画) and Korean manhwa (만화 / 漫畵) — all three derive from the same characters, historically translated as “impromptu sketches.” The Mandarin pronunciation of these shared characters gives us mànhuà.

In global English usage, manhua refers specifically to Chinese-origin comics — a term covering both the print tradition dating to early 20th-century Shanghai and the modern digital vertical-scroll format that dominates today’s Chinese platforms.

How to pronounce manhua

Manhua is pronounced “mahn-hwah” in Mandarin, with two 4th tones (falling) — pinyin mànhuà. Both syllables drop in pitch, which is what distinguishes manhua aurally from Korean manhwa (Korean has no tones). English speakers often flatten the pronunciation; native Mandarin speakers preserve both tones, and the tonal contour is meaningful — flat “man-hua” sounds noticeably off to a Chinese ear.

Why it’s called manhua

Manhua, manga, and manhwa all use the same underlying characters (漫画 in simplified Chinese and Japanese; 漫畫 in traditional Chinese; 漫畵 in Korean hanja), historically translated as “impromptu drawings.” Each East Asian language pronounces those characters differently: mànhuà in Mandarin, manga in Japanese, manhwa in Korean. China adopted the term in the early 20th century as satirical cartoons proliferated in Republican-era Shanghai print magazines.

• Full color — modern digital manhua is full-color from the first episode, matching the vertical-scroll era’s standard.
• Vertical scroll — designed for phone reading; readers scroll top-to-bottom rather than flipping pages.
• Read left-to-right — like Korean manhwa, unlike Japanese manga.
• Digital-first — modern manhua originates on Chinese digital platforms (KuaiKan, Bilibili Comics, Tencent Comics), not print magazines.
• Episode-based — typically 40–80 panels per episode released weekly on Chinese platforms.
• Genre-loyal readerships — cultivation and historical genres carry particularly dedicated multi-year reader bases.

Signature manhua art conventions

Beyond format, modern manhua has developed distinct visual traditions. Cultivation and historical genres feature elaborate costume and architecture rendering, with flowing cloth and hair used to signal power reveals. Occasional stylistic callbacks to traditional Chinese ink-brush art appear in transitional splash panels. CG-rendered backgrounds are heavily used, particularly for palace and sect architecture. Sound-effect text is usually in simplified Chinese hanzi, romanized only in English-translated releases.

Popular manhua genres

Manhua vs manhwa — Chinese vs Korean comics

Manhua is Chinese; manhwa is Korean. Both are Asian comics traditions that in the modern digital era share more structural similarities with each other than with Japanese manga — both are typically full color, both are vertical-scroll on their respective platforms, and both are read left-to-right.

The distinctions come down to five axes:

• Country of origin: manhua is from China (mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan); manhwa is from South Korea.
• Language of publication: manhua is originally Mandarin (with Cantonese for older Hong Kong series); manhwa is Korean.
• Signature genres: Chinese manhua leans toward cultivation (xianxia / wuxia), historical palace dramas, and mythological epics. Korean manhwa leans toward romance, isekai, regression, and BL.
• Platforms: manhua lives on KuaiKan, Bilibili Comics, Tencent Comics (mainland-focused); manhwa lives on WEBTOON, Naver, Manta, Lezhin (globally accessible in English).
• International accessibility: manhwa’s English catalog is vast and easy to access via WEBTOON. Manhua’s English catalog is smaller and more fragmented — most Chinese manhua remains mainland-only unless specifically licensed for WEBTOON or Bilibili Comics international.

For the dedicated deep-dive on Korean comics, see our companion guide What Is a Manhwa.

Manhua vs donghua — the comics-vs-animation distinction

Manhua is Chinese comics; donghua is Chinese animation. It’s the same relationship as manga (comics) to anime (animation) in Japan. If you’ve read Battle Through the Heavens as a comic on Bilibili Comics, that’s the manhua. If you’ve watched it as an animated series on Bilibili or Tencent Video, that’s the donghua.

The manhua → donghua adaptation pipeline is the modern equivalent of Japan’s manga → anime pipeline. Popular manhua franchises frequently get animated, and successful donghua can drive massive readership back to the source manhua. Battle Through the Heavens has run 5+ donghua seasons over almost a decade — its scale is comparable to a mid-tier long-running anime franchise.

Donghua as a distinct term has grown in visibility since the mid- 2010s as Chinese animation production values rose sharply. Bilibili and Tencent Video are the two dominant donghua streaming platforms, both in mainland China and internationally via their global apps.

Battle Through the Heavens sits at the top of the modern donghua production scale — its 5+ seasons have run continuously since 2017, making it comparable to a mid-tier long-running Japanese anime franchise. Motion Magic, Sparkly Key Animation, Colored Pencil Animation, and Shenman Entertainment are among the studios that have anchored the manhua → donghua adaptation era.

Frequently asked questions about manhua