The 5,000 characters are arranged in groups headed by their radicals. The Radical is the principal writing-unit of the character (radix = root) & gives the general meaning, i.e. the Group name of the character. The groups are ALPHABETICALLY arranged according to the number of their strokes. Well over 3,000 characters can be found knowing only 43 easy-to-recognize Radicals, such as Man, Mouth, Water, Tree. A RAPID-ACCESS INDEX allows the user to find a character in the larger groups by recognizing & naming a second-writing unit. All writing units are explained on the basis of their ancestral forms & are easy to recognize & name. USING THIS DICTIONARY, ANYONE KNOWING THE RADICAL & ITS NAME CAN FIND THE MEANING OF A CHINESE CHARACTER. The dictionary contains the SIMPLIFIED & PINYIN (Romanized) forms of the characters as now being used in the People's Republic of China. It also contains QUIZZES, such as A WALK THROUGH CHINATOWN & WHAT'S ON THE MENU? to help the user get familiar with its use. Further information can be obtained from the author by dialing the toll-free number 1(800)566-6630.