A yonkoma (四駒, meaning "four frames") or a yonkoma manga is a Japanese comic strip. Unlike Western comic strips, the panels are usually arranged in a vertical column. They are frequently found in Japanese magazines (including but not exclusively manga anthologies), running from the top of a page to the bottom, and sharing a page with text or advertising. Yonkoma are nearly always gag-oriented, and most do not maintain any plot continuity between strips, although there are exceptions.
Yonkoma are typically drawn in a much simpler style than long-form manga, though some will occasionally lapse into a mock-realistic style for humorous effect.
The popular anime/manga series Azumanga Daioh started as a yonkoma.
