During our initial training to teach at my school, our trainers alerted us to Japanese pronunciation errors we might come across. The infamous “l/r” issue is indeed a reality – in our lessons, there are prates of flied lice, soaps on lopes, crassical concerts and lipped stockings galore. A lesser known pronunciation error of the “l/r” ilk is the “f/h” issue, particularly with the “hoo.” In Japanese, “ha,” “hi,” “ho,” and “he,” exist, but “hu” does not – it is instead voiced as “fu.” There are no other “f” sounds in Japanese – words like “coffee” are translated into katakana as “ko-hi.” The “f/h” issue is why my students recommended I try getting internet from “Yafoo BB.” It is also why, in my class of 2 year olds, I held up flash cards for numbers 1-10 and, as I held up the card for “4,” little Kazuki screamed, “Hore!!!” while nestled comfortably in his mother’s arms.
Again – Japan? Thank you.