Pedagogical functions of hanjimono in Japanese language and culture education

Chang, Eddy Y. L. (author)

Japan has long inspired people worldwide to learn its language and engage with its culture. However, interest-driven learning often leads to fragmented knowledge. This paper explores the pedagogical potential of hanjimono (Japanese rebus puzzles) in Japanese-language and culture education from a semiotic and multimodal perspective. An exploratory workshop held at the International Conference of Japanese Studies at Juraj Dobrila University of Pula (November 15, 2025) examined participants' hanjimono productions and engagement. The results suggest that, with appropriate guidance, participants successfully learned the basic principles of interpreting and creating hanjimono. The findings indicate that hanjimono may promote cognitive engagement, active learning, intercultural mediation, and deeper understanding of the Japanese language and culture.

• Language: English
• Keywords: hanjimono, Japanese language and culture, active and creative learning, complementary educational material, intercultural mediation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: Str. 165-196
• Numbering: Vol. 16, no. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-190494
• ISSN on article: 2232-3317
• DOI: 10.4312/ala.16.2.165-196
• Publication date in RUL: 04.11.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Acta linguistica asiatica
• Publisher: Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-3317
• COBISS.SI-ID: 255902464

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Hanjimono in njegova pedagoška vloga pri poučevanju japonskega jezika in kulture

Abstract

Japonska že dolgo navdihuje ljudi po vsem svetu k učenju svojega jezika in spoznavanju svoje kulture, čeprav takšno učenje, ki temelji predvsem na osebnem zanimanju, pogosto vodi v razdrobljeno znanje. Prispevek obravnava pedagoški potencial hanjimona (japonskih rebusov) pri poučevanju japonskega jezika in kulture s semiotskega in multimodalnega vidika. V okviru raziskave je bila na Mednarodni konferenci japonoloških študij na Univerzi Jurija Dobrile v Pulju (15. novembra 2025) izvedena raziskovalna delavnica, na kateri so udeleženci ob ustreznem vodenju uspešno usvojili osnovna načela interpretacije in ustvarjanja hanjimona. Ugotovitve nakazujejo, da lahko hanjimono spodbuja kognitivno angažiranost, aktivno učenje, medkulturno posredovanje ter poglobljeno razumevanje japonskega jezika in kulture.

• Keywords: hanjimono, japonski jezik in kultura, aktivno in ustvarjalno učenje, dopolnilno učno gradivo, medkulturno posredovanje