How to Write 谭 (tán) — Meaning “to talk; (a surname)”

Think of "Mr. Tan" talking (讠) so long and deeply (覃) that his story becomes a tall tale like "天方夜谭." The right side 覃 looks like a long speech bubble filled with words.

Write the left radical 讠 first: dot, horizontal, then a diagonal hook. The right part 覃 starts with 一 (horizontal) then 日 (sun) and ends with 十 (ten), so the top is like a long horizontal line. A common mistake is making the top of 覃 too narrow — keep it wide to balance the 14 strokes.

谭 means "talk" or is a surname, while 谟 means "plan" or "strategy" and 谠 means "honest advice." Visually, 谭 has 覃 (tán) on the right, 谟 has 莫 (mò), and 谠 has 党 (dǎng). Each right component changes the meaning and pronunciation.

谭 is most often a surname (Tan), as in 谭先生 (Mr. Tan). It also appears in the idiom 天方夜譚, meaning "The Arabian Nights" or a fantastic tale. You will not find it in HSK, but it appears frequently in names and classical references.

Common words containing 谭 include: 谭先生 (tán xiān shēng) — Mr. Tan; 天方夜谭 (tiān fāng yè tán) — The Arabian Nights / A tall tale; 老谭 (lǎo tán) — Old Tan (referring to someone named Tan)..