Kunihiko Homma holds a Ph.D. in Japanese linguistics from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a B.A. from Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.

His research is situated in sociolinguistics and discourse analysis, with interests in language ideology, indexicality, pragmatics, politeness, and the social organization of hierarchy in Japanese interaction. His work examines how speakers use linguistic resources to communicate social meanings and negotiate social relationships in everyday contexts, with particular attention to features such as speech style shifts (including the use and non-use of honorifics), sentence-final particles, person reference, and other aspects of Japanese interaction.

As a language educator, Homma draws on his sociolinguistic background and extensive teaching experience across the United States and Japan, including the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, UCLA, UC San Diego, International Christian University (Japan), and Sophia University (Japan). His teaching emphasizes a deep academic understanding of Japanese language and society as a foundation for communicative competence and confidence, as well as an appreciation for variation and diversity in Japanese language use. He aims to help students connect analytical knowledge of Japanese with practical language use, enabling them to understand variation in Japanese language use, make thoughtful language choices, and develop their own ways of expressing themselves across various social contexts.