his for Japanese speakers — pronunciation and common errors

Pronunciation

Japanese lacks the /h/ phoneme before /i/, substituting the voiceless palatal fricative /ç/. Consequently, 'his' /hɪz/ is often produced as /çiːzɯ/ with a high-tongue position and an epenthetic vowel.

Grammar

Japanese possessives use the particle 'no' (の) for both adjectives and pronouns. Because 'kare no' (彼の) translates to both 'his' (determiner) and 'his' (pronoun), learners may fail to distinguish between 'his book' and 'it is his' in syntax.

Examples

• He left his keys on the table.
• The doctor asked the patient to describe his symptoms in detail during the physical examination.