“His” is used to show that something belongs to or is connected with a male person or animal, as in “his book.” It can stand alone as a possessive pronoun (“This is his”) or come before a noun as a determiner.
From Old English “his,” the genitive (possessive) form of “hē,” meaning “he.” It has kept its form and possessive function remarkably well through the history of English.
Unlike “her,” which changes form (“she/her/hers”), “his” does double duty without changing shape—it’s both a determiner and a pronoun. Your brain figures out which role it’s playing purely from position in the sentence. That efficiency is a clue that language tends to simplify high‑frequency words over time.
Like ‘him,’ ‘his’ has been widely used as a generic masculine determiner and pronoun in laws, academic writing, and manuals, effectively erasing women and nonbinary people. Feminist linguists and activists have challenged this norm since at least the 19th century.
Use ‘his’ only for individuals who use he/him pronouns; avoid generic ‘his’ when gender is unknown or mixed. Prefer singular ‘their’ or rewrite to be gender-neutral.
["their","the person’s","the individual’s"]
When updating texts, note how generic ‘his’ contributed to assumptions that default workers, citizens, or experts were male, and how women and gender-diverse authors pushed for inclusive pronouns.
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