This section briefly introduces the student to the five main scripts used in written Japanese followed with a detailed description of the kana system; gojyu'on; and the various sound changes that occur with specific character groupings.

Next, the sounds of Japanese language are covered in somewhat detail to be sure the student has all the information needed in order to figure out the correct way to pronounce any character they find in a kanji dictionary. Romanization methods are also discussed.

Two full page spreads show the complete hiragana and katakana characters along with their stroke order and notes on usage and peculiarities.