Since it was first published in 1984, the focus of the Japanese for Busy People series has always been to teach Japanese for effective communication. As suggested in the title, this is a concise course for busy students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as efficiently as possible in a limited amount of time. The new Japanese for Busy People: Revised 4th Edition is made up of three volumes: Book I, Book II, and Book III. The Kana Version is exactly the same as the Romanized Version except for the scripts used throughout the book: hiragana and katakana. The Kana Version is therefore recommended for those who have already learned kana (as these scripts are collectively called) or are learning them with Japanese for Busy People Kana Workbook or another such text. Studying Japanese in kana, rather than in romanized script, can lead to fluent pronunciation and facilitate a smooth transition to the study of kanji.