The visual staging of early gastric cancer can be broadly divided into three types: augmented, superficial and indurated. The augmented type is mainly seen as a tumor that is significantly higher than the surrounding normal mucosa, with the height of the augmentation exceeding twice the normal mucosal thickness, and exhibits a broad base of tissues. The superficial type of gastric cancer is the most common type that can be seen as augmentation. The indurated type of early gastric cancer presents as an ulcer with cancerous tissue invading deep into the submucosa. These three types of early gastric cancer may sometimes cross over in clinical practice, and not every type of early gastric cancer exhibits a naked-eye staging.