The Use of Popular Cultural Products in Language Learning - A Case Study of Japanese Language Students in Malaysian Public Universities

Aug 20, 2026

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Internet and information technology have streamlined language teaching and learning, shifting some instructional functions away from classroom-centered delivery. Many Japanese language learners already gain listening and comprehension abilities through anime and manga, and university courses further support recognition of writing, pronunciation, grammar, and conversation. This study identifies which Japanese popular culture products best support learning by analyzing survey data collected in 2018 and via Google Forms in 2020 and 2021.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages5

Reading Time13 min

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Introduction

Literature Review

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11, Issue 10,(2021) E-ISSN: 2222-6990 The Use of Popular Cultural Products in Language Learning: A Case Study of Japanese Language Students in Malaysian Public Universities Roslina Mamat Department of Foreign Languages, Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia Email: [linamm@upm.edu.my](linamm@upm.edu.my) To Link this Article: [http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i10/11096](http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i10/11096) DOI:10 .6007/IJARBSS/v11-i10/11096 Published Date: 09 October 2021 Abstract Language teaching and learning has become easier with the advent of the internet and the rapid pace of information technology. If in the 1990s, teachers or instructors still used faceto-face medium in language teaching, but little by little, the function of educators is declining in the classroom or lecture room. Some students have already learned this language and can communicate in Japanese by watching anime and reading manga. They have already gained the skills to listen and understand the meaning of some catchy vocabulary and phrases. When they take Japanese language courses at university, learning to recognize writing, pronunciation, grammar, and conversation become more accessible and more exciting. This paper aims to identify Japanese popular culture products that can be used for learning purposes. Two surveys distributed through Google Form were involved in this study, namely 2020 and 2021 and one hard copy survey in 2018. The findings show that in addition to anime and manga, students also use computer games, Seiyu and VTuber as Japanese language learning tools. The students can minimize conventional face-to-face learning hours with the teacher and use their own space and time without reducing learning Japanese. Keywords: Japanese, Popular Culture, University Students, Malaysia, Language Learning Introduction Japanese popular culture products such as manga, comics, shodo (Japanese calligraphy), and computer games are famous worldwide to this day. Some of their cultural products have evolved, such as shodo, divided into traditional shodo: regular shodo and performance shodo. The regular shodo are written on paper, and performance shodo are written on paper but extensive, accompanied by drum beats or music and dance performances. Shodo is back in popularity after the manga received a very encouraging response from overseas fans. Japanese language educators and researchers have discussed the use of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese animation) as a medium of learning Japanese among fans of Japanese culture. Mamat et al (2018) have conducted a study on manga and anime by students at Universiti Putra Malaysia and Universiti Malaya. 79% of respondents in their study stated that manga and anime improve Japanese language skills in writing, pronunciation, vocabulary and specific phrases making essays more exciting and conversation or dialogue more natural. With the Covid-19 pandemic hitting the whole world, including Malaysia, educators in universities and schools have moved from classroom-centred teaching or lectures to online teaching and learning. Online teaching allows students to minimize conventional learning. On the other hand, students can use space and time according to their convenience without reducing their learning of Japanese. This paper aims to: • identify Japanese popular culture products as a learning alternative to students and teachers. • suggest to Japanese language teachers to use VTuber as one of the teaching aids so that students can learn Japanese naturally. Literature Review Anime nowadays refers to Japanese animation, although it was a general term for all types of animation in the world. Nowadays, all anime forms with big eyes, snouts, blonde hair for men, and outrageous expressions are named anime even if other countries release them. For example, Malaysia also produces an anime titled ‘Satria 7’ or ‘warrior 7’ in collaboration wi

FAQs

What is the main objective of the paper?

To identify Japanese popular culture products that can be used for language learning purposes.

What data collection methods were used in the study?

Two surveys were conducted through Google Form for 2020 and 2021, and one hard-copy survey was collected in 2018.

Besides anime and manga, what other tools do students use for learning Japanese?

Students also use computer games, Seiyu, and VTuber as Japanese language learning tools.

Aug 20, 2026

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