This study was performed to get the basic information on nitric acid pulping of beech wood. In order to reduce the consumption of nitric acid, alkali pretreated woods were applied to a nitric acid pulping process. It consisted of nitric acid treatment to a high residual lignin content and the subsequent delignification with alkali, required far less chemical than the single stage method. At the first stage of nitric pulping, pulp yield descreased with increasing cooking time and 3 percent of nitric acid was more effective on the delignification of wood than 1 or 2 percent. Alkali pretreatment of wood improved significantly the rate of delignification, and 79 percent of the pretreated yield was good enough for excellent delignification. The dissolution of carbohydrate (mainly xylose) was increased with increasing cooking time, especially at the second stage. It would be considered that carbonyl groups introduced to polysaccharides in wood by nitric acid oxidation caused the degradation of carbohydrates.