谈 tán — to speak; to talk; to converse; to chat; to discuss; (surname)
我们坐下来谈一谈。Wǒ men zuò xià lái tán yi tán.Let us sit down and have a talk.
Common words: 谈判 (tán pàn)、谈话 (tán huà)、会谈 (huì tán)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to chat"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to chat", including 谈 (tán), 聊 (liáo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to chat" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 谈 (tán), 聊 (liáo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tán, liáo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 谈 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 谈 tánto speak; to talk; to converse; to chat; to discuss; (surname)Useful words: 谈判, 谈话
- 聊 liáoto chat; to have a chat; to kill timeUseful words: 聊天儿, 无聊
Common words for these 2 "to chat" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 谈 (tán) — so "to chat" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "to chat".
聊 liáo — to chat; to have a chat; to kill time
周末，朋友们聚在一起聊天。Zhōu mò, péng you men jù zài yì qǐ liáo tiān.On weekends, friends gather together to chat.
Common words: 聊天儿 (liáo tiān r)、无聊 (wú liáo)、聊天 (liáo tiān)
All 2 characters
Open 谈、聊 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.