THE INFLUENCE OF JPOP SONGS ON PRONUNCIATION OF

JAPANESE LANGUAGE STUDENTS

Annissa Sindia Anandhitya
Departement of Japanese Language Education, Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta University
NIM: 20190830035
E-Mail: annissa.sindia.fpb19@mail.umy.ac.id
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects or influence of the JPOP songs on the
pronunciation of Japanese language learners. This qualitative descriptive paper reports the result
of 5 participant who likes to often hear JPOP songs and the researcher used an interview as an
instrument which was done in the Whatsapp chat platform in the year 2022. The findings showed
that the JPOP songs affected their pronunciation, improved, and practicing their Japanese
pronunciation more enjoyable. Thus, it will encourage second language learners to partake, build
their confidence, and take more risks to speak in Japanese.

Keywords: Effect, Influence, JPOP songs, Learners’ pronunciation, Japanese language.

INTRODUCTION
A student who is going to learn a foreign language must be able to speak and write in the
target language, one of which is learning Japanese. But in reality, learning Japanese is very
different between writing and speaking skills in the field. Generally, Japanese language learners
find it more difficult to practice speaking rather than answer written questions. This can be caused
by many things, including the lack of practice in real life.
Mostly, second language learners feel worried about being wrong when speaking the target
language, in this case, Japanese (Gusnovita et al., 2018). The students are worried about the wrong
use of particles, conjugation, forgetting vocabulary, and especially difficulties in pronouncing the
second language so there is a lack of confidence in speaking skills using Japanese.
There are recent studies about the influence of JPOP on Japanese language students (Hanifa,
2021) and the result is not everyone can read and write the three forms of Japanese, namely kanji,
hiragana, and katakana. But over time, Japanese language students begin to understand a short
sentence and practice their language skills with native Japanese. In training Japanese vocabulary
pronunciation (hatsuon) various methods have been used to improve Japanese pronunciation (Yani,
2016; Handayani, 2020; Wismadewi & Rusanti, 2022). These studies were practicing Japanese
pronunciation by listening to Japanese conversations and practicing speaking fast. However, none
of these studies had studied the influence of using JPOP songs on the pronunciation of the Japanese
language.
This study was conducted to describe: The influence of JPOP songs on the pronunciation
of Japanese language students. Specifically, we were interested to in the following question that
guided this search.
1. What is the influence of JPOP songs on the pronunciation of Japanese language
students?

LITERATURE REVIEW
1. The Definition and History of JPOP Song
Japanese pop music is usually referred to as "J-pop". The term was forged in the early
1990s by Tetsuya Komuro, the "father of J-pop". The meaning of J-pop has never been clear.
Initially, it was defined as Eurobeat, a type of dance music produced by Komuro. However, it
was later applied to many other types of popular music on the Japanese music chart, Oricon,
including idol pop, rhythm and blues (R&B), folk, soft rock, easy listening, and occasionally
hip hop (Wai-Ming, 2004).
Since the 1990s, J-pop has evolved into one of Asia's fastest-growing and influential
musical forces, warmly embraced by young people in Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China,
South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. Top J-POP artists like Ayumi Hamasaki,
SMAP, Speed, Hikaru Utada, V6, KinkiKids, W-inds. It has become a common idol among
young people in Asia. Their records and merchandise sell well and serve as models for Asian
music companies to train and promote their singers (Wai-Ming, 2004).
2. The Definition and The Difficulties of Japanese Pronunciation
Pronunciation is the way we pronounce a word, especially in a way that is accepted or
generally understood. The way we speak also conveys something about ourselves to the people
around us. Second-language learners with good pronunciation are more likely to be understood
even if they make errors in other areas. Pronunciation also includes attention to the particular
 sounds of language and aspects of speech beyond the individual sounds, such as; intonation,
stress, rhythm, vowel, consonants, and voiced and voiceless sounds (Farmand & Pourgharib,
2013).
発音 or Hatsuon directly means pronunciation in English. But in this context, it is the
Japanese pronunciation. And most of the Japanese vocabulary is difficult to pronounce for
second language learners. According to Wilson (2005) English speakers can’t pronounce the
Japanese“ふ(fu)”. Because “ふ(fu)” in Japanese is voiceless, labiodental which is
pronounced using lips (labio) and teeth (dental), and fricative which is the sound is made by
the “friction” of air coming through a gap, in this case the small opening between your lips and
teeth (Wilson, 2015).
Ghanbari & Hashemian (2014) also studied the effectiveness of using English songs to
learn the comprehension and pronunciation of the English language. As a result, the use of songs
in L2 classrooms can make learning more enjoyable and interesting. At the same time, students
learn the target language and feel comfortable in a relaxing atmosphere. This aids them to lower
their affective filter and becoming more receptive toward learning. In addition, songs help L2
learners improve both their listening comprehension and understanding and production of
important pronunciation features.
Farmand & Pourgharib (2013) studied show that the students who learned English through
songs improved their English pronunciation more accurately. And also, these students had fun and
enjoyed the class, as indicated by their willingness to sing along to the songs. After learning
English through songs, these participants learned the language more rapidly and could pronounce
words accurately. The level of enjoyment of the students is also significant as this also leads to
increased motivation to learn English pronunciation. In this study, the researcher applied a variety
of songs to teaching pronunciation, which also complemented the learning styles of the students.

RESEARCH METHODS
This qualitative descriptive study was conducted on students of Japanese Language
Education major at Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta University who likes to often hear JPOP songs.
The researcher use this kind of method because the researcher focuses on analyzing student's
perception, so the data that the researcher used will be presented descriptively. The data were
collected from the interviewee to describe the influence of JPOP on the students pronunciation in
Japanese language. A total of 5 students who participated in this study.
This study uses the interview method as the instrument. The interview was through the
Whatsapp chat platform. The researcher contacted the participant and they asked to described the
difference before and after often hearing JPOP songs towards their Japanese pronunciation. To
analyzed the data, each interview answers was read and analytical notes were made.

RESULT
Here are the interview questions that the researcher used in this study:
1. Does JPOP effect/influence the participant’s Japanese pronunciation? If yes/no, why?
2. What is the significant difference before and after often hearing JPOP songs towards the
participant Japanese pronunciation?
The result of the interview can be seen as follows.
1. Is there an effect and reason why JPOP effects/influenced the Japanese pronunciation
According to the result of the interview, most of participants feel the effects of JPOP on
their Japanese pronunciation. They became to know about how the Japanese vocabulary
pronounce the correct way by singing or listening to JPOP.
Participant 1: “Yes. Because if the song and lyrics match the beat, whether you want to sing a
Japanese song or not, you have to match the beat and automatically our hatsuon has to match
the original song”.
Participant 2: “It does effect. Because apart from listening to or singing the songs, we also have
to know how the hatsuon is pronounce. When we can sing with the correct hatsuon then that
means our hatsuon is good”.
Participant 3: “Yes. Because by listening to Japanese songs, over time we start to get used to
the lyrics so, unconsciously we learn hatsuon at the same time when listening to JPOP songs”.
Participant 4: “Yes. Indirectly, our intonation in Japanese pronunciation becomes slightly
correct”.
Participant 5: “It does effect because when you listen to a song while reading the lyrics, you
know what the correct pronunciation is like”.

2. The difference before-after hearing or singing JPOP towards the Japanese pronunciation
 Based on the result of the interview, most of the participants had a significant difference
before and after often hearing JPOP songs towards their Japanese pronunciation. Not only they
became to know more about how the Japanese vocabulary intonation pronounces the correct
way, but their pronunciation became more fluent than before hearing or singing JPOP songs.
Only one of the participants that don’t feel a significant difference. The data of the interview
could be seen below:
Participant 1: “The hatsuon is so much smoother, especially in hayaguchi kotoba (tongue
twister)”.
Participant 2: “Becoming more knowledgeable about the correct hatsuon”.
Participant 3: “I don’t know”.
Participant 4: “Before, I didn't know how to pronounce it. After hearing it, I know a little about
Japanese intonation. Because it helps us in knowing the intonation”.
Participant 5: “In the previous example, I pronounced the word kikkake, well, as normal, but it
turns out that when I listen to JPOP, the correct pronunciation is emphasized”.

DISSCUSSION
This study shows that the Japanese language education students at the University of
Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta are feel the JPOP songs affecting their Japanese pronunciation. First,
it helps the participant know the correct way to pronounce Japanese vocabulary by listening to or
singing the JPOP songs. Second, the participant became more fluent to pronounce Japanese
vocabularies.
These findings can be related to Farmand & Pourgharib (2013) who learned a second
language through songs improved their pronunciation and they were also able to pronounce the
specific words of the songs more accurately. This indicates that the JPOP song is affecting the
pronunciation of the Japanese language and helps the student to improve their Japanese speaking
skills more enjoyable.

CONCLUSION
The study shows that the JPOP songs not just affected their pronunciation improved, but
also they were able to know which one is wrong and which right pronunciation was used. Moreover,
singing JPOP is practicing their Japanese pronunciation in an enjoyable way.
 Music can motivate second language learners to be more entertaining and effective. Using
JPOP songs as a media practice for improving students' Japanese speaking skills, especially in
pronunciation will encourage students to partake, built their confidence, and took more risks to
speak in Japanese.

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