CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Ok. In Japanese it seems (when I am watching animes in Japanese that is) that people refer to themselves in the third person a lot. Why is that?

It all has to do with formal/non-formalness... sort of hard to explain but I remember seeing anime where characters actually got offended when someone called them "anata" and made a comment like "you can call me by my name!"

Ummm yeah sort of hard to explain but all I can really describe it as a non-formal way of addressing someone/yourself.

To use any form of "you" is either rather intimate or rude (or intimate before the speaker is allowed such freedom and thus rude). "Anata" is used by wives for their husbands and such. Others like "omae" are pretty distancing and don't show respect. Go for the name; it's pretty safe. Just don't forget to add "san" (or "sama" if necessary--but don't throw that one around carelessly, either, or it sounds sarcastic.)

To refer to yourself too much may sound egotistical. Sentences can sound complete without a subject if it's well understood, so saying "I do this, I did that, I know this, I like that" and so on sounds a bit much.

Third person or leaving off the I/you subject is pretty nonthreatening and acceptable in pretty much any situation.

Does that help?

But I mean... they say their own name directly, or they will refer to themeselves as "mother" or "sister" or something. i.e. "Mother needs to go now" instead of "I need to go now."

Linksquest wrote:But I mean... they say their own name directly, or they will refer to themeselves as "mother" or "sister" or something. i.e. "Mother needs to go now" instead of "I need to go now."

Basically Aka-chan summed it up alot better than I did^^ But it works for that too. If a child is around, the parent will still refer themselves as "mother" instead of their name even. Sort of weird thought when a wife calls her husband "otou-san" but still works the same way with the child in the room^^ Just... something we aren't used to.

Ok I think I get it now. Thanks everyone for attempting to get me to understand!