when for Japanese speakers — pronunciation and common errors

Pronunciation

Japanese has no native /we/ sequence — /w/ survives only before /a/ — so the onset is rebuilt as a /ɯ/+/e/ glide, written ウェ (we) in loanwords. 'when' /wɛn/ surfaces as /ɯen/, with the vowel raised to Japanese /e/.

Grammar

Japanese uses the particle 'toki' (時) to mark time, which follows the verb; the sentence-initial position of the English conjunction results in word-order transfer errors where 'when' is placed at the end of the clause.

Examples

• I will call you when I arrive at the station.
• The lights usually flicker when the old elevator starts moving in the hallway.