Learning Hiragana and Katakana are the two basic alphabets in Japan that you should start off with while learning Japanese. I have found that Japanese Hiragana & Katakana for Beginners by, Timothy G. Stout has been very helpful for me learning hiragana and katakana. This book uses pictures of different things that resemble the character that helps you retain the character better. This book shows the stroke order of the characters. They also have a place for you to trace the characters and then write it out a few times yourself. This book also uses the characters in a vocabulary word to help you build your vocabulary at the same time. There is more to this book that will help you out if you are just getting started in writing and reading the language. I would give this book a 10 out of 10. This book is worth every penny! I am now looking for a good book to help me with kanji. If anyone has any suggestions please share in the comment box! Thank you!
Exploring Japan. 