Fonts
How to make manga text
Type a word, compare it in every font, and pick a look. Each font card shows your own text, so you can see the difference before you download.
- Type your text. Short words work best for sound effects. A line break stacks the words.
- Pick a font card. Sound effect fonts are loud and heavy. Dialogue fonts stay easy to read at small sizes.
- Choose a look, then change the fill, the ink line, the outer line, the block shadow, the lean and the turn.
- Download a transparent PNG and place it on your page in any drawing app.
Dialogue lettering
Dialogue must be easy to read at small sizes. English manga editions letter it in a comic font, and many keep the old habit of capital letters. Japanese editions mix two typefaces: a bold gothic for kanji and a softer style for kana, so the kanji stand out. Keep one dialogue font for the whole book.
Sound effects
In Japanese manga the artist draws sound effects by hand, as part of the art. They are big, outlined and angled, and their size follows the loudness. English editions either redraw them or keep them and add a small translation next to them. A sound effect font with a heavy ink line and a block shadow comes close to that drawn look.
Japanese text
Three fonts here have kana and kanji. Dela Gothic One is heavy and square, good for impacts. Reggae One has brush-like strokes for loud effects. Zen Maru Gothic is round and easy to read, a good choice for Japanese dialogue. The other fonts cover Latin letters only.
Common Japanese sound effects
| Sound | Reading | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| ドン | don | A heavy hit, or a dramatic entrance |
| ゴゴゴ | gogogo | Menace, a rumble before something big |
| ドキドキ | dokidoki | A racing heartbeat |
| シーン | shiin | Silence after something awkward |
| ザワザワ | zawazawa | A murmuring crowd, or unease |
| キラキラ | kirakira | Sparkle and shine |
Lettering tips
- Use one font for dialogue and one or two for sound effects.
- Give a sound effect an ink line when it sits on busy art.
- Lean the letters in the direction of the motion.
- A block shadow makes a word feel heavy. Leave it off for quiet sounds.
Font licences
Every font here is free under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 or the Apache License 2.0. Both licences let you use the images you export in a published or paid comic. To install a font on your computer, download it from Google Fonts.
- Bangers: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Luckiest Guy: Apache License 2.0
- Knewave: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Titan One: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Anton: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Rubik Wet Paint: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Comic Neue: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Patrick Hand: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Kalam: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Permanent Marker: Apache License 2.0
- Dela Gothic One: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Reggae One: SIL Open Font License 1.1
- Zen Maru Gothic: SIL Open Font License 1.1
Keep going
Common questions
What font is used in manga?
English editions letter dialogue in a comic font, often in capitals, and draw sound effects by hand or in bold display fonts. Japanese editions mix a gothic typeface for kanji with a softer one for kana.
Can I use these fonts in a commercial comic?
Yes. Every font here is under the SIL Open Font License 1.1 or the Apache License 2.0. Both allow you to use the exported images in a published or paid comic.
Does it work with Japanese text?
Yes, with Dela Gothic One, Reggae One and Zen Maru Gothic. They have kana and kanji. The other fonts cover Latin letters only, and their cards say so when you type Japanese.
Can I copy and paste the styled text?
No. The tool makes an image, not special characters. Download the PNG and place it in your drawing app, or install the font from Google Fonts to type with it.
Paste a story and Kon draws and letters the chapter, with the same faces on every page.