Based on personal experiences of reading impairment following brain damage in Japanese patients a cognitive neurolopsychological model of normal reading process is proposed. Essentially reading is realized by combined activities of visual, auditory and semantic systems. Each system first processes general patterns or features and gradually zooms in for more detailed features. At each level of processing the three systems can freely activate each other. Difference of kanji and kana reading performance often seen in Japanese patients can easily be explained by the present model. Neuroanatomical correlation of this functional model is also discussed.

Key words: kanji, kana, reading process, alexia, agraphia, neuropsychological model, Japanese