Start speaking, reading and writing Japanese today with the most exciting new introduction to the Japanese language! Beginning Japanese follows the story of Kiara, an American exchange student who lives in Japan and loves to study Japanese. With the help of her Japanese friends and the time-traveling Tomo Tanuki (raccoon dog), Kiara learns to speak, read, and write Japanese while she visits famous people and places in Japanese history.

Illustrated with manga-style comics—a fun way to learn Japanese and written by experienced high-school Japanese teachers, this Japanese textbook will show you how to pronounce Japanese; read and write hiragana, katakana, and 125 basic kanji; and understand conversational Japanese.