Mangaka (漫画家) is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese. As of 2006, about 3000 professional mangaka were working in Japan.
Some artists may study for a few years at an art college, manga school, or take on an apprenticeship with another mangaka, before entering the world of manga as a professional artist. However, there are some that just start in manga, without being an assistant by applying to contests that various magazines run. For example, Naoko Takeuchi, author of Sailor Moon, who won such a contest sponsored by Kodansha, and Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy started out without being an assistant.
A mangaka will slowly rise to prominence through recognition of their ability when they spark the interest of various institutions, individuals or a demographic of manga consumers. For example, there are various contests which prospective mangaka may enter, sponsored by some of the leading manga editors and publishers in the field. They are also recognized for the number of manga they run at one time.
The word can be broken down into two parts: Manga and ka. (漫画家） The Manga corresponds to the medium of art the artist uses: comics, or Japanese comics, depending on how the term is used inside or outside of Japan.
The -ka (家) suffix implies a degree of expertise and traditional authorship. For example, this term would not be applied to a writer creating a story which is then handed over to a manga artist for drawing. The Japanese term for such a writer of comics is gensaku-sha. The term geijutsuka is also commonly used for manga-kas. The phrase means "artist" in the literal.
Only the Ring Finger Knows (その指だけが知っている Sono Yubi Dake ga Shitte Iru) is the title of a shōnen-ai light novel series written by Satoru Kannagi. It was made into a manga illustrated by Hotaru Odagiri, which has been licensed in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing.
