Reading (and usage) of 他: when is it 【た】, when is it 【ほか】?


他 is one of these common words that still to this day confuses me...

My general assumption is that:

  * used as a prefix, it should always be read 【た】, e.g.: 他人【たにん】
  * when treated as a "substantive" (that is essentially, followed by の), it is 【ほか】: 他【ほか】の人【ひと】(?)

But then, some expressions crop up, like 他の物, which my dictionary indicates as
read 【たのもの】, and make me doubt whatever little I have deduced so far.

Could anybody settle the た/ほか rules once and for all (and point out any nuance
in meaning, if they exist, between the two usages)?




You are right about when to read it as `た`. The cases where it is read as `ほか`
is correct, but some (mainly aged) people optionally read it as `た`.
Similarly, `等` is read as `など` or `とう`, but some aged people read it as `とう`
instead of `など`.




You are right about when to read it as `た`. The cases where it is read as `ほか`
is correct, but some (mainly aged) people optionally read it as `た`.
Similarly, `等` is read as `など` or `とう`, but some aged people read it as `とう`
instead of `など`.

