Wherever the same component appears in kanji (Chinese characters used in Japanese), its core meaning and/or sound is the same or closely related to every other kanji with the same component because they were derived from the same origins. This book explains those origins with actual ancient characters and their development into present-day Japanese kanji. All 2,136 Joyo kanji are grouped into 432 common shapes so that the reader can acquire multiple kanji at one time efficiently. In addition to its use as a practical guide, the reader can also gain insight into how ideas were shaped into physical forms in human civilization.

Each of the 2,136 Kanji Tables contains the following items:

＊ English core meaning, kun and on reading, traditional bushu ("radical"), full stroke order illustration, and total stroke number

＊ Four suggested levels of kanji study, roughly corresponding to the five levels of the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) - Level A (566 kanji) - Beginning level [JLPT N5 and N4]; Level B (525 kanji) - Intermediate through Pre-advanced [JLPT N3 and N4]; Level C (520 kanji) - Advanced I level [JLPT N1]; and Level D (525 kanji) - Advanced II level [JLPT N1]

＊ 4,500 ancient characters (in oracle bone-style甲骨文, bronzeware-style金文, and seal-style篆文), allowing the reader to visualize and grasp the development of the kanji.

＊ Succinct English accounts linking its origin to present-day Japanese kanji.

＊ Several sample words and an accentual tonal fall marking in standard Japanese.

＊ Four indices: Index 1 The Order of Kanji in the Book (by the Study Guide number) 導入順漢字リスト; Index 2 Kanji by On and Kun Reading in Japanese Syllabary Order 漢字の音訓読み五十音順リスト; Index 3 Kanji by Total Stroke Number 総画数による漢字表; and Index 4 Kanji by Bushu 部首による漢字表