How to say "chatter" in Japanese

• しゃべるJLPT N3approx.Common
  godan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verbThe common everyday verb for the act itself: chatting, talking away, chattering. When you want to say that someone is chattering — talking casually or at length — this is the usual choice.
  つい彼かれが病気びょうきだということをしゃべってしまった。↗

  I've just let slip that he is sick.
• 無駄口むだぐち
  nounA noun, not a verb: chatter as idle, useless talk that only wastes time. Reach for it when criticizing pointless talk, not when describing friendly chatting.
• ぺちゃぺちゃ
  adverb (with と), suru verbAn onomatopoeic word: it depicts the sound and manner of light, continuous chattering or prattling rather than naming the act, often with a playful or faintly mocking coloring.
• 冗言じょうげん
  no-adjectiveA noun for chatter as useless, superfluous words — talk dismissed as pointless verbiage. It labels speech worthless rather than describing the act, so it is seldom the word for friendly conversation.
• 無駄言むだごと
  nounA less common noun for idle talk: chatter viewed as wasted words, close in sense to 無駄口. For the everyday verb sense you need しゃべる instead.

Choose 「しゃべる」 for the verb — chatting or chattering away; use 「ぺちゃぺちゃ」 to depict prattling; the nouns 無駄口, 冗言 and 無駄言 all treat chatter as idle or useless talk.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• しゃべるto talk
• 無駄口むだぐちchatter
• ぺちゃぺちゃchatter
• 冗言じょうげんchatter
• 無駄言むだごとchatter
• チャターchatter
• だべるto jabber
• 空談くうだんgossip
• くっちゃべるto talk
• しゃべくるto chat enthusiastically
• 冗語じょうごverbiage
• びびりchatter (undesirable vibration in machine tools)
• あごで使うあごでつかうto chatter