Journal

The Kotoba Interactive journal.

Editorial features on the cultures, history and languages of Asia. Filter by culture, by topic, or search for what inspires you.

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4 articles

Korea

Culture7 min

Vertical scrolling: the grammar webtoons invented

The long panel, silence made of empty space, the thumb as a cut: what vertical scrolling changed in drawn storytelling, and what it cannot do.

August 12, 2026Read

Korea

Pop Culture7 min

Solo Leveling: how a Korean manhwa conquered the world

From a 2016 web novel to the first Korean Anime of the Year: the trajectory of Solo Leveling, its narrative codes and what it changed for webtoons.

August 11, 2026Read

Japan

Maiko en kimono traditionnel, apprentie geisha au Japon.

Arts11 min

Manga, manhwa, manhua: an East Asian culture glossary

Shōjo, seinen, hallyu, xianxia, webtoon: a dictionary of the terms, genres and traditions of Japan, South Korea and China, sorted by country.

March 21, 2026Read

Korea

Illustration de Lee Do-yeong, pionnière de la bande dessinée coréenne moderne.

Culture6 min

Webtoon: how Korea reinvented the comic

History and codes of the Korean webtoon: from manhwa to vertical mobile scroll, the Naver and Kakao platforms, the free model and adaptations into global K-dramas.

March 6, 2026Read