this for Japanese speakers — pronunciation and common errors

Pronunciation

Japanese phonology lacks the voiced dental fricative /ð/, so speakers often substitute the voiced alveolar sibilant /z/, producing /zissɯ/ (jisusu). This occurs because Japanese does not feature the tongue-between-teeth position required for the English 'th' sound.

Grammar

Japanese lacks a strict distinction between singular 'this' and plural 'these' in its demonstrative system (これ kore / この kono). Consequently, learners frequently use 'this' as a universal marker for both singular and plural nouns, particularly when the noun itself has no plural suffix.

Examples

• This coffee is much better than the one I had yesterday.
• I am reading this book because my professor recommended it during our last lecture.