Manganese-based oxides are promising cathode materials for zinc-ion batteries. However, these materials often suffer from rapid capacity fade due to structure collapse during charge and discharge processes. Here, we report that core-shell structured Mn₃O₄@ZnO nanosheet arrays are synthesized on the carbon cloth, combining microwave hydrothermal process with atomic layer deposition. With an optimized thickness of ZnO coating layer, the capacity retention of the as-formed Mn₃O₄@ZnO nanosheet arrays exhibits 60.3% over 100 discharge-charge cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g ^-1. It is demonstrated that the introduction of ZnO layers is beneficial to maintain the microstructure and improve the structural stability of the Mn₃O₄ electrode material during the discharge-charge process, benefiting from avoiding direct contact with the electrolyte. The design of the well-defined core-shell structure provides an effective way to develop high-performance manganese-based oxide cathode materials for zinc-ion batteries.