Speaking in the third person


Many things that seem normal in English look arrogant in Japanese. I think I
found a special case where the reverse is true. In Japanese is it normal to
speak in the third person when referring to oneself? I have seen this done
before on Twitter.

What about in face to face conversation or other conversational situations? Is
it normal to refer to oneself in the third person?

Whenever I try to speak in the third person about myself in English I always
get accused of looking pompous. This is not the case in Japanese?

What's the difference when using the third person to refer to oneself instead
of words like 私、僕、or 俺？




_**Update:** I didn't comment on the fact that speaking about oneself can also
be a matter of using "he" or "she" for oneself, as well as using one's own
name._

I have never heard anyone in Japanese use `彼【かれ】(he)` or `彼女【かのじょ】(she)` to
refer to themselves. As far as I can tell, it has more or less the same
implications that it would in English, and you can follow the same instincts.
So, for example, you might use the third person when writing a bio on a web
site when it's understood you're writing _about_ yourself.

The point is that using he or she has no special place in Japanese for
referring to yourself.

Using one's own name to refer to oneself, however, is something that is done
in Japanese and different from English.

Women up to around 30 or so use their own name in place of a first person
pronoun commonly enough. However, it is reserved for certain social contexts,
like within their relationship, family, or close friends, and definitely not
for circumstances like work or school.

Some people think of the use of one's own name as being "girlish", but that is
debatable. I think it's a matter of opinion as well a context.

Men can also use the term, but in even a far, far more restricted sense. A
father talking to his young child, or a man in a very specific context with
his girlfriend/wife/partner.

For men learning Japanese, I would absolutely recommend not ever using one's
own name in place of `私【わたし】`, `僕【ぼく】`, or `俺【おれ】`. If the circumstance comes
up when it might work, as it has with me in some relationships, you will know
beyond a shadow of a doubt. Or, put another way, if there is a shadow of
doubt, you shouldn't do it. _(Note I'm not saying it's an indication of
closeness, just that it's the result of a context far too specific and
complicated to describe here.)_

For women learning Japanese, you would have the option to try it, but it's an
art, not a science. You would have to watch your female peers as a guide to
see if they felt comfortable using it given their age, standing, and social
context.

For both men and women learning Japanese, it is far more beneficial to learn
how to drop the first person pronoun altogether than it is to master using
one's own name for that purpose.

