How to Read Manhwa in English — Complete Beginner Guide

ByMason

Manhwa — Korean comics — has exploded in popularity globally over the past few years. Series like Solo Leveling, Tower of God, and True Beauty have attracted millions of readers worldwide. But with so many manhwa series releasing new chapters weekly in Korean, English-speaking readers often struggle to keep up. In this guide we cover everything you need to know about how to read manhwa in English, from official sources to AI translation tools.

What Is Manhwa?

Manhwa is the Korean word for comics. Unlike Japanese manga which is printed in black and white and read right to left, manhwa is typically published in full color in a vertical scroll format optimized for mobile reading. This format is also called webtoon — a portmanteau of web and cartoon — and has become the dominant format for Korean comics in the digital age.

Korean manhwa covers a wide range of genres including:

  • Action and fantasy — Solo Leveling, The Beginning After the End
  • Romance — True Beauty, My ID is Gangnam Beauty
  • Horror — Sweet Home, Bastard
  • Slice of life — Cheese in the Trap, Let’s Play
  • Isekai and regression — A Returner’s Magic Should Be Special, Omniscient Reader

Official Ways to Read Manhwa in English

Several platforms offer officially licensed English translations of popular manhwa series. These are the best option for supporting creators and getting high-quality, professionally edited translations.

Webtoon

Webtoon is the largest manhwa platform in the world and offers a huge library of series in English. Many popular Korean manhwa series are officially translated and published on Webtoon, often with only a small delay after the Korean release. Webtoon is free to use with a fast-pass option to read episodes ahead of the free release schedule.

Tapas

Tapas is another platform that offers English translations of Korean manhwa and other Asian comics. It uses an ink token system to unlock episodes and has a good selection of romance and fantasy titles.

Pocket Comics

Pocket Comics is operated by Kakao and offers English translations of manhwa series from the Kakao platform. It has a strong selection of romance and drama titles.

How to Read Manhwa That Has No English Translation

Many manhwa series — especially newer or more niche titles — do not have official English translations. For these series, AI translation tools are the best option for English-speaking readers who want to follow the story.

Using SnowMTL to Translate Manhwa

SnowMTL is a free AI-powered tool that translates manhwa images from Korean into English and 9 other languages. Here is how to use it to read manhwa that has no official English translation.

Step 1 — Find the raw manhwa images. Raw manhwa chapters are Korean-language versions of manhwa episodes without any translation. They are typically available on Korean manhwa platforms or through fan communities.

Step 2 — Save the images. Download or screenshot the manhwa panels or pages you want to translate. SnowMTL works best with clear, high-resolution images.

Step 3 — Upload to SnowMTL. Go to snowmtl.org and upload your manhwa image. Select English as your target language.

Step 4 — Read the translation. SnowMTL uses GPT-4o vision to read all the text in the image and returns translations in reading order. For vertical scroll manhwa, the AI reads top to bottom which matches the natural reading direction.

Tips for Reading Manhwa in English with AI Translation

  • Start with full-color images. Korean manhwa is published in color which can sometimes affect text legibility. Use the highest quality raw images available for best translation results.
  • Translate page by page. Upload individual panels or pages rather than trying to translate a full chapter in one image for cleaner results.
  • Use context. AI translation is excellent but some Korean expressions and cultural references may need context to fully understand. Following the story across multiple chapters helps.
  • Support official releases. When a manhwa you love gets an official English translation, support it by reading on the official platform. This helps creators and publishers invest in more translations.

The Best Genres to Start With

If you are new to manhwa and not sure where to start, here are the best genres for beginners reading in English:

Action Fantasy

Action fantasy manhwa like Solo Leveling feature fast-paced stories with incredible art. The vertical scroll format makes action sequences feel dynamic and exciting in a way that is different from traditional manga.

Romance

Korean romance manhwa often features realistic art and relatable characters. Series in this genre tend to have strong emotional storytelling and are perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven narratives.

Isekai and Regression

The isekai genre — stories about characters transported to another world — and its Korean variant the regression story — where a character travels back in time with knowledge of the future — are incredibly popular in manhwa and have produced some of the most compelling series in recent years.

Start Reading Manhwa in English Today

Whether you use official platforms like Webtoon or AI translation tools like SnowMTL, there has never been a better time to get into manhwa. The global manhwa industry is producing incredible content across every genre, and more of it is accessible in English than ever before.

For series without official translations, visit snowmtl.org and translate any manhwa image for free. No account required, 5 free translations per day, and results in seconds.

Related: How to Translate Manga Online · Best AI Manga Translation Tools in 2026

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