Mobile Augmented Reality for Japanese Vocabulary and Hiragana Letters Learning with Mnemonic Method

Learning a foreign language is a must in the current era of globalization. This also includes learning Japanese for the Indonesian people, considering that Japan is a developed country, both in terms of education, technology, and strong culture. Learning Japanese, can be started at an early age by introducing vocabulary to objects around them. This study develops an educational media using Augmented Reality and a mnemonic approach to teach Japanese vocabulary and hiragana letters. The mnemonic approaches employed in this application includes visual imagery techniques that display 3D objects utilizing Augmented Reality, organizational approaches for classifying Japanese vocabulary, and rhyme and jingle techniques for memorizing words through songs. According to the study's findings, this application can aid children in learning, remembering, and comprehending Japanese vocabulary. The rise in child respondents' average pre- and posttest scores, which ranged from 11 to 80 out of a possible 100 points, indicates significant effect of the use of applications on improving children's learning outcomes. These findings are supported by the opinions of respondents who strongly agree that this application can be an educational media for learning Japanese vocabulary for children.