How to Say “Chat” in Chinese

Ways to say it

The primary way to express the act of being engaged in informal conversation is 聊天. This term can also function as a noun to describe an exchange of text or voice messages in real time. If you want to refer specifically to casual chatting or making small talk, you can use 閑聊. Other forms like 攀談, 談天, 閑談, 閑聊, 嘮嗑兒, 聊天兒, 扯句兒, 拉呱兒, 拉呱, 閒扯, 諞 and 諞閒傳 all relate to various nuances of chatting.

What does it mean word for word?

The word 聊天 literally means 'to chat sky/heaven', composed of 聊 (to chat) and 天 (sky/day/weather), suggesting the act of chatting about the weather or the sky.

Which one should you use?

While 聊天 implies casual, informal chatting, 談話 is a more formal term that often implies a serious or purposeful conversation. For a more professional context, such as business meetings or conferences, you might use 交谈. The term 对话 primarily means 'dialogue' but can serve as a more formal way to say 'chat' in certain situations. If the conversation is perceived as idle, trivial or even nonsensical, you might use 闲扯.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For a playful or highly informal way to say someone is chatting nonsense or talking rubbish, use 扯淡. The term 闲扯 is also used informally to describe idle or nonsensical talk.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Northern China, the highly colloquial term 嘮嗑兒 is used for casual chatting or storytelling and the variant 聊天儿 is common to create a more relaxed, informal vibe. In Cantonese, the term 傾偈 is used to mean 'chat' and in Taiwanese Hokkien, 講 is frequently used to mean 'chat' or 'talk'.

Related words

Conversation to stop an argument or settle situations (noun): 談話 / 谈话.

Exchange of text or voice messages in real time (noun): 聊天.

How does it change in a sentence?

In northern dialects, adding the suffix 儿 (er) to 聊天 to create 聊天儿 is a common way to make the verb sound more casual and colloquial.

How do you pronounce it?

liáotiān