The kanji 談 generally conveys the meaning of "to talk," "to discuss," "to converse," or "a discussion." It implies the act of exchanging ideas, opinions, or information through spoken words. It is centered around the idea of communication and dialogue between people.

・On-yomi (音読み): ダン (dan) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): かた.る (kata.ru)

⚫︎ 相談（そうだん） Translation: Consultation; discussion; advice ⚫︎ 会談（かいだん） Translation: Meeting; conference; discussion; talks ⚫︎ 世間話（せけんばなし） Translation: Small talk; gossip; chat

The kanji 談 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). ⚫︎ The semantic component is 言 (げん, gen), which means "speech" or "words," indicating the meaning of speaking or communication. ⚫︎ The phonetic component is 炎 (えん, en), meaning "flame." The phonetic component only indicates the sound. ⚫︎ Therefore, the character depicts speech related to fire (the sound only), which represents speaking or discussing something. Over time, the meaning narrowed down to specifically "to talk" or "to discuss."