The Comprehension of Japanese Culture in Learning Japanese as
Foreign Language
Neneng Sutjiati and Linna Meilia Rasiban
Depertement of Japanese Language Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Jl Dr Setiabudhi 229 Bandung,
Indonesia
Keywords: Japanese Culture, Foreign Language Learning, Japanese as Foreign Language, Undergraduate Students.
Abstract: This study investigated the correlation of Japanese culture knowledge and Japanese language competence of
basic level Indonesian Japanese language learners. This study aims to help non-native Japanese teachers to
understand certain difficulties that Japanese language students might encounter problem in learning
Japanese due to cultural differences, and to help Japanese students to become aware of their own socio-
cultural behaviours in communication, in order to reduce cross-cultural misunderstandings. This research
used qualitative method, and the data were collected through Discourse Completion Test. The questionnaire
used Kasper (2000) categorization. The sample were 40 Japanese students in Universitas Pendidikan
Indonesia. The data collected from the questionnaires were statistically analysed using descriptive statistics.
The results showed that by understanding Japanese culture, the students can understand better how to
communicate and it gives a positive impact on learning Japanese language. However, the results about using
a certain level of politeness in various situations was not satisfying. Furthermore, the results of this study
related with teachers’ way of teaching including language content, language use, and teaching behaviour.
These are considered important to help students in understanding the language they are learning better.
1 INTRODUCTION
In language learning classes, learners need to be
involved in how cultural contexts influence the idea
that is being communicated. This context is not a
single culture because the language and target
culture of learners are equally presented and
engaged simultaneously. It can cause a cultural
confusion even in a cultural acculturation. Learning
to communicate in additional languages involves the
development of an awareness of the ways in which
cultures relate to languages whenever it is used
(Liddicoat et al., 2003).
Based on the results of the initial questionnaire
distributed to students who participated in Nihon
Bunka (Japanese culture) course, it can be concluded
that they facing difficulties to understand the
Japanese phrases that are not equivalent
semantically to Indonesian language or the phrase
used from the context of sentence and the culture
Japanese that influence it non-verbally.
Hadley and Hadley's research (1996) explains
that learning culture must be accompanied by
understanding the culture of the target language they
studied. This is to make it easier to understand the
phrases used in the context of everyday sentences
and to avoid miscommunication.
In most of the ongoing communication, it almost
always involves the use of verbal and non-verbal
symbols together. Both verbal and non-verbal
languages have a holistic nature (each of them is
inseparable). In many communication actions, non-
verbal language becomes complementary to verbal
language. Non-verbal symbols can also function
contradictory, repetitive, and even substitute for
verbal expressions. For instance, when someone
says thank you (verbal language), the interlocutors
will complete it with a smile (non-verbal language);
when someone agrees with the message, he will nod
his head (non-verbal language). These two
communications are instances that verbal and non-
verbal languages work together in creating the
meaning of a communication (Herdianto, 2010).
According to Samovar, Richard and Lisa (1998),
nonverbal communication encompasses all stimuli
except for verbal stimuli in a communication setting
produced by individuals, and use of the environment
by individuals who have a potential message value
Sutjiati, N. and Rasiban, L.
The Comprehension of Japanese Culture in Learning Japanese as Foreign Language.
DOI: 10.5220/0007174207370740
In Proceedings of the Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference
on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education (CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017) - Literacy, Culture, and Technology in Language Pedagogy and Use, pages 737-740
ISBN: 978-989-758-332-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved
737

for the sender or recipient; so this definition includes
both intentional and accidental behaviour as part of
the overall communication event; we send many
nonverbal messages without realizing that they are
meaningful to others. Non-verbal behaviour that
serves as a silent language, the concept of time, and
the use and arrangement of space.
The understanding of Japanese cultural time is
monochromic, while Indonesians’ is polychronic.
There are differences in talking, touching, distance,
as well as other habits that are connected with
communication. Based on literature studies that have
been conducted, it is necessary to do a research that
confirms that there is a strong relationship between
culture and foreign language learning.
Based on previous explanations that Indonesian
and Japanese have different cultures both verbally
and non-verbally, this study focuses on how the
relationship between the two variables toward the
knowledge of Japanese culture with the ability to
speak Japanese, whether they affect each other or
not.
2 THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN LANGUAGE AND
CULTURE
Culture is not only inseparably related to language,
but also plays an important role throughout the
process of language teaching and learning
(Kumagai, 1994). The question is not whether or
not to teach culture, but, rather, what kind of
teaching can promote students' understanding of the
nature of the language, communication and human
relations. Tucker (1973) stated that the ability to
communicate fully in a second language depends on
the degree of non-ethnocentrism of the learner.
It is impossible to communicate in a language
without understanding the cultural connotations of
its use (Mahoney, 2007). Likewise, it is impossible
to understand a different culture without learning
how different ideas and ways of seeing the world are
expressed through its language. As ‘foreign
languages are not just a code version of English,’8
culture is not just another component to be tacked
onto the end of the code – it is embedded within it
(Liddicoat et al., 2003).
The importance of understanding "culture" in
which the target language is spoken for a foreign
language students has become clear. In a foreign
language classroom, when teachers talk about
incorporating culture into language teaching, it often
means simply introducing typical customs or
traditions of the given society.
Lado (1957) discussed the comparison of
languages and cultures for the purpose of identifying
and describing problems that second-language
learners will encounter. His fundamental assumption
is that individuals transfer forms and meanings, and
the distribution of these, from their native language
and culture to the foreign language and culture. As a
consequence, there occurs miscommunication
between people with different cultural and linguistic
backgrounds (Kumagai, 1994).
For example, in a Japanese language class, a
teacher may introduce some Japanese customs or
social rules such as when you receive a present, do
not open it in front of the giver but instead just put it
aside, or they eat raw fish, and so on. These are, of
course, part of Japanese culture, and may be useful
to know when visiting a Japanese home. Yet, it does
not explain the reasons or beliefs behind all these
social behaviours to which one must be introduced
in order to understand Japanese culture.
Another problem with teaching language from a
cultural perspective is that there is a clear dichotomy
between native and non-native speakers of the
language (Kumagai, 1994).
3 METHODS
3.1 Participants
Respondents in this study were taken purposively at
the Japanese Language Education Department at
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Bandung,
Indonesia. Respondents were set in a group with
basic level competencies in the Japanese language
with a range of 17 to 19 years old. Respondents
came from undergraduate students who took the
subject of Nihon Bunka (Japanese Culture) academic
year 2017-2018 in a total of 40 respondents, 22
females, and 18 males. Nihon Bunka is a Japanese
cultural introduction course containing Japanese
culture in terms of season and food, festivals /
events, customs, customs, and religion.
3.2 Instrumentation
In this study, the data were collected using the
following instruments:
Discourse Completion Test (DCT): This test kit
is a written questionnaire that makes a brief
description of a particular situation that is intended
to describe the speech acting pattern being studied.
DCT is used to find information on the level of
CONAPLIN and ICOLLITE 2017 - Tenth Conference on Applied Linguistics and the Second English Language Teaching and Technology
Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
738

comprehension and ability of respondents to speak
Japanese toward the phrases used in the context of
the given situation and to seek a correlation between
the cultural understanding with the level of Japanese
ability orally. In this study, the DCT is used with the
type of open item-verbal response only production
questionnaires. DCT contains the daily play of parts
(role play) that Japanese people use in certain
situations and contacts.
Questionnaire: One of the main research
instruments is a questionnaire because of the survey
method used. The questionnaire is used to collect
information in the learning process of Nihon Bunka,
the importance of a cultural understanding of foreign
language learning, and the influence of cultural and
language skills.
Deep Interview: This stage is conducted after the
information collected through a questionnaire that is
distributed. To deepen the information, the deep
interview is conducted. The information collected
including on how is the influence of cultural
understanding of each respondent who has the
ability of Japanese language from various levels of
ability, correlated with his language performance.
3.3 Procedure
In this study, the respondents are not given treatment
and not influenced by anything, but it can be seen
from the work of the matter in the form of DCT, in
order to know the ability to speak Japanese and
understanding the use of phrases that fit the context
in everyday life. DCT contains the daily play of
parts (role play) that Japanese people use in certain
situations and contacts. In this study, the DCT is
used with the type of open item-verbal response only
production questionnaires.
The steps in data collection are, (1) spreading the
questionnaire to the respondents following the
course of Nihon Bunka; (2) giving DCT questions on
respondents; (3) analyzing the results of the
questionnaire that has been disseminated; (4)
conducting a deep interview with several sample
respondents, representing each group based on their
level of Japanese language proficiency; (5)
summarizing the results of information collected
with the relevant theories.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The data collected in this study is about the learning
of Nihon Bunka, the importance of cultural
understanding of foreign language learning, and
cultural influences on language skills.
Based on the results of a questionnaire that has
been disseminated about learning of Nihon Bunka, it
can be concluded that 60% of respondents stated that
learning Nihon Bunka provides more benefits in
building understanding of the target culture and
language. This result is like Kumagai’s (1994)
statement that the importance of understanding the
"culture" in which the target language is spoken is
important for students studying a foreign language.
75% of respondents stated that considering
Japanese culture is identical with the discipline and
uphold its own cultural value. This shows that the
Japanese language learner feels the importance of
understanding the culture of the target language in
learning the target language.
Most of the respondents also realized that in
learning Japanese, they are not only need to
understand the vocabulary and grammar, they also
need to understand the Japanese language culture.
After a deep interview, it can be concluded that by
understanding the culture of the target language, we
indirectly strive to understand the Japanese language
itself and the character and habits of the Japanese.
This is effective in minimizing the
misunderstandings of non-verbal communication
expressions that cannot be directly understood.
Mahoney (2007) states that the culture being
generated by the teacher and culture being elicited
also by the teacher. And culture being generated by
the student, language and culture integration. This
study held a pilot interview and class observation
with Nihon Bunka (Japanese Culture) teacher not
involved with the study was also carried out to
uncover any problems with the proposed procedures.
As well as some interview questions, the classroom
observation instrument was modified after the pilot
observation.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Learning a language without the cultural framework
in which it exists, is like cooking ethnic food
without the spices of the region. According to
Mahoney (2007), the teaching of culture and
language must be integrated. Not only culture is a
major and indispensable component of "knowing" a
language, but also it is one of the most fun aspects of
getting a new language and getting yourself
motivated in learning a foreign language.
The importance of cultural understanding by
language learners, is to reduce the
The Comprehension of Japanese Culture in Learning Japanese as Foreign Language
739

misunderstandings that may occur due to cultural
misunderstandings between the language actors, it is
important to track the extent of the learners’
knowledge of it. It is also important to learn the
language delivery strategy in the lecture or in the
classroom especially the Kaiwa (speaking) class
which is the application of the language ability itself.
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Conference in collaboration with the First International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture, and Education
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