jin4 taam4言談言谈
Jyutpingjin4 taam4
Yaleyìhn tàahm
Definition
One's speech, conversation, or manner of speaking.
neutralcommunicationpeople
How it's used
Focuses specifically on the impression or quality of a person's verbal interaction rather than just the vocabulary used. It often appears in formal or descriptive contexts to evaluate someone's social grace or maturity during conversation. While it can be used in daily life, it carries a slightly more refined or observational tone compared to everyday terms like 講嘢.
Examples
His manner of speech is very graceful, and he is well-liked.
Do you think his way of speaking is very sophisticated?
Related words
Common phrases
one's speech and behavior
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with 講嘢, which is a neutral verb phrase. Remember that 言談 is a noun describing the style or manner of speech, so it cannot be used as a simple verb to mean 'to talk'.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Aspect markersCantonese has no tenses, but it does have aspect markers. Learn how zo2, gwo3, gan2, and hai2 dou6 show completion, experience, and ongoing action.
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
