Abstract
With the spread of smartphones, Japanese language learners have increasingly been able to connect with native Japanese speakers and have conversations in Japanese using a variety of communication tools. In particular, instant messenger (IM) applications make it possible to interact in real time using written text, emoji, stamps and pictures. In this study, I analyze online communication between Korean learner of Japanese and Japanese native speaker over a period of one year, in order to demonstrate how language learner build relationships with native speaker and use Japanese outside the classroom.
