Drying is performed in a continuous fluidized bed having at least two drying rooms. Drying is performed after pulverization is performed between drying in a first drying room and drying in a second or subsequent room. Drying is performed in a continuous fluidized bed whose fluidized bed contains a heat transfer tube. The second or subsequent drying room has a higher drying temperature than the first drying room. Drying is performed with the drying temperature of the first drying room falling within a range of not less than 80° C. to not more than 200° C. and with the drying temperature of the second or subsequent drying room falling within a range of not less than 100° C. to not more than 220° C. Further, a method for producing a water absorbent resin includes: a sequence of the steps of: (1) polymerizing a monomer aqueous solution; (2) drying a hydrogel polymer obtained in the step (1); (3) performing particle size control by either pulverizing or pulverizing and classifying a dry polymer obtained in the step (2); and (5) performing surface crosslinking on water absorbent resin powder whose particle size has been controlled in the step (3), the method further including the step (4) of performing second heat drying on the water absorbent resin powder whose particle size has been controlled in the step (3), the step (4) preceding the step (5). Further, the water absorbent resin has a moisture content (defined by a loss on drying performed for three hours at 180° C.) of 0 wt % to 3 wt % before it is supplied to the step (5). (This makes it possible to provide a method for producing a water absorbent resin which method makes it possible to obtain a particulate water absorbent resin of excellent properties at low cost with high productivity.