雑談

• 読み: ざつだん
• ローマ字: zatsudan
• 漢字の分解: 雑 (zatsu) — miscellaneous, mixed; 談 (dan) — talk, conversation
• 発音: /za.t͡sɯ.daɴ/

意味

Chatting; idle talk; small talk. Casual conversation without a specific purpose or topic.

A noun and suru-verb for casual, unstructured conversation. An important social skill in Japanese culture, particularly in workplace settings where 雑談力 (zatsudan-ryoku, chatting ability) is valued for building relationships. Common patterns include 雑談をする (to chat), 雑談を交わす (to exchange small talk), and 雑談が弾む (conversation flows lively). Distinguished from 会話 (kaiwa, conversation) which is more general — 雑談 specifically implies informal, non-purposeful talk.

例文

1. 休憩時間に同僚と雑談を楽しんだ。
2. 会議の前にちょっと雑談をしてから始めた。
3. 雑談が得意な人は職場で好かれやすい。

使い方ガイド

場面: workplace, social gatherings, daily life

トーン: friendly

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 雑 (zatsu, miscellaneous/mixed/rough) + 談 (dan, talk/conversation). Literally 'miscellaneous talk' — conversation that wanders freely without a fixed topic.

文化的背景

時代: Pre-modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal