#>.<% >?.>%
WRITE LESS, MEAN MORE
Two Talk is a simple plaintext shorthand that packs big ideas into tiny amounts of text. Nine basic symbols pair up into 81 core meanings, which stack together into custom compounds for super precise thoughts. Where normal writing takes a whole paragraph, Two Talk gets the point across in one short line.
The system excels where text density, parsing consistency, or input constraints matter. It transforms free-form status reports into structured, searchable log notation. For users on constrained keyboards or single-hand setups, it provides a compact input method that minimizes typing effort. In low-bandwidth or constrained technical environments, it reduces transmitted messages to a short string of human-readable symbols.
It’s lightweight, keyboard-friendly, and natively searchable: everything uses the exact same core setup - 9 main symbols, 81 core pairs, and 531,441 combinations - keeping text compact, clear, and easy to parse.
Two Talk turns 9 basic symbols into over 531K combinations - built for compact notes, structured status logs, low-bandwidth messages, and minimal-keystroke typing.
Each symbol stands for one basic category of meaning. These 9 categories are the building blocks of Two Talk - by pairing any two together and you get a predictable, consistent meaning.
The grid shows what every two-symbol combination means. Every ordered pair has one canonical meaning that never changes under compounding or translation. To read the grid: find the first symbol in the left column, and the second symbol along the top row.
Order: Write left to right: who → what →
when. Words modify each other following the compound rule: XX.YY = YY modifies XX. e.g.
@> >@ :# = You speak now, and #!.%! = sharp (%! modifies #!).
Sentences: Each line is its own sentence.
Negation: Add .<! after a
pair to negate it. e.g. >!.<! = no action
/ blocked. To negate a longer statement, break it into
spaced words and use <! as a standalone
word - e.g. @@ :> <! #! ^# @% = I will not
contact this group.
Questions: Start with >? to
ask a question. e.g. >? @% LG
@^.::
= Is the legal team still waiting?
Tense: :< = past,
:> = future, :# = now. For
something ongoing, compound :: - e.g.
>!.:: = process still running. Leave tense
out when it's obvious from context.
?: (If) -
>: (After) = if / then - e.g.
?: ^<.%# :# >: @% @^ ^^.<# = if it's
raining, we stay home. %% (Same) = and,
<> (Other) = or. ?% (Why)
= because. !< (Refuse) = but.
!@ (Want) = in order to. Same as
negation: as a standalone word, these act as
connectors; inside a compound, they keep their normal
meaning.
Literals: Use plain numbers for amounts
(5), dates as YYYY-MM-DD
(2025-04-14), times in 24hr
(1430), and use initials for names and entities
(JN, LG).
Escaping: ! # < > % ^ ? are special in shells, and . is a regex wildcard. Wrap Two Talk in single quotes in a terminal, use grep -F to search it, and write < and > as < and > in HTML.
Canon: The 81 primitives have one permanent canonical meaning that compound meanings or translations cannot redefine. The core symbols and default double compounds act as a global standard. Custom double and triple compounds serve as local shorthand.
Speech: Two Talk is designed to be written
however to aid learning each symbol has a spoken sound -
@ (An), # (Ob),
! (Ve), ? (Mo),
> (Ak), < (Li),
: (Ti), ^ (Sa),
% (Me).
Compounding follows one absolute rule: XX.YY = YY modifies XX for doubles and XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies XX for triples. Use dots (.) to join either two XX.YY or three XX.YY.ZZ pairs together to express 6,561 double pair meanings and 531,441 triple pair meanings.
@?
agent + inquiry
@?
agent + inquiry
^?
place + idea
XX.YY = YY modifies XX (^? modifies @?).
#!
object + action
#!
object + action
^?
place + idea
XX.YY = YY modifies XX (^? modifies #!).
#!
object + action
^?
place + idea
%!
measure + intensity
XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies XX (%! modifies ^? modifies #!).
Search the 81 core symbols and their common synonyms, or switch to double and triple compounds to search every combination in English or Two Talk. The 81 primitives are frozen and permanently fixed - compound interpretations or natural language translations will never redefine them. Standard double definitions provide a baseline vocabulary, while triples are unassigned by default for personal or domain shorthand. When you print the page, it will include your updated definitions.
| Symbol | Meaning | Category |
|---|
Quick shorthand for meetings, tasks, status updates, and personal observations.
!@.#% (need) @% (team) >!.#? (answer) ># (tasks).<: (before) @%.:@ (meeting).
Compact, standardized strings designed for consistent searching and software parsing.
#!.<% (battery) %< (low) :# (now).?#.<: (backup) !!.>: (finished) :# (now) %!.<! (no problems).
High-density human-readable messages across tiny bandwidth, low-power devices, or intermittent links.
!^.%! (hot) !^ (rise) !>.%! (fast) :# (now).>!.<! (deployment blocked) :: (ongoing).
A compact input method that minimizes typing effort on constrained keypads.
@@ (I) !#.#@ (eat) !@ (want/need).@@ (I) !#.%@ (help) :# (now).
Type English or Two Talk into the first box - the direction is auto-detected and the converted result appears in the second box. Unmatched words or symbols are skipped.
Four steps to learn Two Talk. Start with the symbols, then build up to writing full sentences.
Learn the 9 symbols. These are the
building blocks for everything else:
@ # ! ? > < : ^ %
Learn the 81 pairs. Every ordered pair has a permanent canonical meaning that never changes (e.g., >@ is always "Say", @> is always "You").
Compound with one absolute rule. XX.YY = YY modifies XX. For triples: XX.YY.ZZ → ZZ modifies YY modifies AXX.
Write sentences. One line per statement: who → what → when. Separate each word with a space.
These are the 25 most useful pairs optimized for notes, tasks, and status.
@@ Self
@# Is / Being
@% People
># Do / Action
>! Execution
>> Progression
#! Tool
#? What / Item
<! Not / Blocked
!! Done / Perfect
%! Bad / Crisis
!? Can / Able
!@ Motive / Intent
?? Wonder / Ask
?# Fact / Know
?! Knowledge
?^ Context
%^ All / Entire
!> Move / Speed
>@ Speech / Say
?: If
:: Duration
:< Past
:> Future
:# Now
These are 300 common everyday phrases and their Two Talk translations.
| English Phrase | Two Talk Shorthand |
|---|---|
| I have a meeting. | @@ @< @%.:@ |
| Check the status. | ?@ ?#.#% |
| Send the data. | >! ?#.#% |
| Receive the file. | !#.<# #! |
| Process completed. | !!.>: :# |
| Action required. | !# !@ |
| Approval needed. | ?!.%% !@ |
| Access denied. | !>.<^ <! |
| Access granted. | !>.<^ !? |
| Data saved. | ?#.#% <# |
| Update available. | !#.<> !? |
| Who is in charge? | @? !: ^! |
| Who is responsible? | @? >#.!@ |
| This is a mistake. | ^# !#.!: |
| Fix this error. | #> %! %@ |
| I am busy. | @@ ># :: |
| I am free now. | @@ >#.<! |
| I am running late. | @@ :% :>.:> |
| I am working. | @@ ># :# |
| Reduce workload. | #> ># %< |
| Where is the workplace? | >#.^^ ^? |
| When do you work? | @> ># :@ |
| Who works here? | @? ># ^@ |
| We have work to do. | @% @< ># |
| We work together. | @% ># %% |
| We work now. | @% ># :# |
| Do you agree? | @> ?!.%% @# |
| What do you think? | @> ?^ #? |
| I think that is good. | @@ ?^ ^# %@ |
| I am not sure. | @@ ?# <! :? |
| Are you sure? | @> ?# ?! |
| That makes sense. | ^# ?^.%@ |
| That makes no sense. | ^# ?^.%! |
| Explain this. | ?> ?# ^# |
| Show me. | ?@ @@ |
| Tell me more. | >@ @@ %> |
| I agree. | @@ ?!.%% |
| I disagree. | @@ ?!.<> |
| That is false. | ^# ?!.<! |
| Is this true? | ^# ?! @# |
| What do you know? | @> ?# #? |
| I do not know. | @@ ?# <! |
| I know this word. | @@ ?# ## ^# |
| I do not understand. | @@ ?# <! |
| Understood. | ?# !# |
| Send a message. | >! #?.>@ |
| Call me. | !#.>@ @@ |
| Please speak slowly. | ?> !>.%< |
| Say it again. | >@ %% |
| Why speak now? | ?> ?% :# |
| You speak too long. | @> ?> :: |
| Speak to me. | ?> @@ |
| I will speak soon. | @@ ?> :! :> |
| Do you speak English? | @> ?> ## |
| Be quiet. | ?>.<! |
| Stay quiet. | @^ ?>.<! |
| I have a question. | @@ @< >? |
| I will ask you. | @@ >? @> :> |
| Why do you ask? | @> >? ?% |
| Do not ask. | >? <! |
| I wonder why. | @@ ?? ?% |
| When will we hear back? | @% <@ :@ :> |
| Listen to me. | <@ @@ |
| What do you hear? | #? @> <@ |
| I hear you now. | @@ <@ @> :# |
| Who can hear me? | @? !? <@ @@ |
| Start now. | !!.^! :# |
| Let us start. | @% !!.^! |
| It is finished. | !!.>: |
| Almost finished. | !!.>: :! |
| We stop here. | @% << ^@ |
| Who can stop this? | @? !? << ^# |
| I refuse this. | @@ !< ^# |
| Do you refuse? | @> !< |
| Why do you refuse? | @> !< ?% |
| Give this to you. | >! ^# @> |
| Who will give this? | @? >! ^# :> |
| Give me time. | >! @@ :% |
| Give more. | >! %> |
| Who can do this? | @? !? !# ^# |
| What are you doing? | @> !# #? |
| Do you have time? | @> @< :% |
| What time is it? | #? :% :# |
| One moment. | 1 :%:%< |
| How long will it take? | :: :% #? |
| Just in time. | :% :# %@ |
| Out of time. | :% <! |
| In the beginning. | :%.<: |
| At the end. | :%.>: |
| When was that? | :@ :< |
| When was it created? | #> :@ :< |
| This is routine. | ^# :@.:: |
| It is urgent. | :!.:# |
| Always do this. | :%.%^ !# ^# |
| Never do this. | :%.<! !# ^# |
| It happens often. | :%.#% |
| Who is next? | @? >: |
| We are done. | @% :: |
| Who can see this? | @? !? ?@ ^# |
| What do you see? | @> ?@ #? |
| I see the same. | @@ ?@ %% |
| Make it small. | #> %< |
| You can make this. | @> !? #> ^# |
| What else will you make? | @> #> #? ?< :> |
| Is this part small? | ^# #< %< |
| Is it easy? | ^# >#.%@ @# |
| It is too difficult. | ^# >#.!: |
| It is working. | ^# ># :# |
| It is broken. | ^# >#.%! |
| System down. | #!.^? ^< |
| Network error. | !>.^% %! |
| Power on. | !^.>% :# |
| Power off. | #:.#^ :# |
| Battery critical. | #!.<% %! |
| Storage full. | <^.%^ :# |
| File size large. | #!.#? >% |
| File size small. | #!.#? %< |
| What is this tool? | ^# #! #? |
| Who has this tool? | @? @< #! |
| Use this tool. | !#.#! ^# |
| Where will you work? | @> ># ^? :> |
| Where is the entrance? | <^.^^ ^? |
| Where is the exit? | >^.^^ ^? |
| Is this seat open? | <<.^< <^.<! |
| Take a seat. | <<.^< |
| Please wait inside. | @^ <^ |
| Stay on this side. | @^ ^> ^# |
| We have less. | @% @< %< |
| Keep it restricted. | %:.%! |
| Is it enough? | ^# %:.%@ @# |
| There is none. | %:.<! |
| Only a few. | %<.#% |
| What is the problem? | #? %! @# |
| No problem. | %!.<! |
| Is it bad? | %!.@# |
| Is this good? | ^# %@ |
| Is everything good? | %^ %@ @# |
| Everything is fine. | %^ %@ |
| All clear. | %^ >^.%@ |
| Try again. | !# %% |
| Do not move. | !> <! |
| Why are you moving? | @> !> ?% |
| We move across. | @% !> ^% |
| We move up now. | @% !> ^! :# |
| We rise up. | @% !^ ^! |
| We rise high. | @% !^ ^!.!% |
| Turn around. | !> ^^.^% |
| Turn side. | !> ^> |
| Need assistance immediately. | !#.%@ !@ :# |
| End of transmission. | :>.:> :%.>: |