[General] in/on his hand

[Silverobama]

Hi.

Are both my sentences natural?

1) He held a magazine in his hand.
2) He held a magazine on his hand.

 

[Yankee]

1) is OK.
2) is not natural unless, for example, 'he' is covering something in his hand.

 

[tedmc]

How else could he have held a magazine if not using his hand(s)?

 

[Skrej]

How else could he have held a magazine if not using his hand(s)?

Under his arm? Between his legs? On his head? Between his toes? In his lap? Between his butt cheeks?

All possible with enough dexterity, some more likely than others.

But back to the OP, only #1 is really natural. The second one suggests he's balancing the magazine on the back on his hand for some odd reason.

 

[Phaedrus]

The sentence He held a magazine on his hand makes me think that his hand may have been wounded and he was using the magazine to cover the wound.

 

[Tarheel]

Abe: He was holding a magazine.
Bob: Why is that?
Abe: He wanted to have something to read while he was on the bus.
Bob: OK.

 

[emsr2d2]

You could balance a magazine on your hand, but if you are grasping it in your fingers (which is what "hold" means), you need "in".

 

[Skrej]

He could be holding the magazine on one hand with the other, like a compress.