diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TestMessageFormat.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TestMessageFormat.java
index adbc787bc8e..64a08135c8d 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TestMessageFormat.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TestMessageFormat.java
@@ -1312,6 +1312,27 @@ public class TestMessageFormat extends com.ibm.icu.dev.test.TestFmwk {
     }
   }
 
+    // Test case for null arguments.
+    // Ticket#6361
+    public void TestNullArgs() {
+        MessageFormat msgfmt = new MessageFormat("{0} - {1}");
+        Object[][] TEST_CASES = {
+            {null,                          "{0} - {1}"},
+            {new Object[] {null},           "null - {1}"},
+            {new Object[] {null, null},     "null - null"},
+            {new Object[] {"one"},          "one - {1}"},
+            {new Object[] {"one", null},    "one - null"},
+            {new Object[] {null, "two"},    "null - two"},
+        };
+
+        for (int i = 0; i < TEST_CASES.length; i++) {
+            String text = msgfmt.format(TEST_CASES[i][0]);
+            if (!text.equals(TEST_CASES[i][1])) {
+                errln("FAIL: Returned[" + text + "] Expected[" + TEST_CASES[i][1] + "]");
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
 //#if defined(FOUNDATION10) || defined(J2SE13)
 //#else
     // Test case for formatToCharacterIterator
diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/MessageFormat.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/MessageFormat.java
index 87145f28d24..70fd74cb2f6 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/MessageFormat.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/MessageFormat.java
@@ -1664,7 +1664,7 @@ public class MessageFormat extends UFormat {
             result.append(pattern.substring(lastOffset, offsets[i]));
             lastOffset = offsets[i];
             String argumentName = argumentNames[i];
-            if (arguments == null || arguments.get(argumentName) == null) {
+            if (arguments == null || !arguments.containsKey(argumentName)) {
                 result.append("{" + argumentName + "}");
                 continue;
             }