Translation guide
An attempt or guess made with little hope of success or without enough information.
To express making a guess with no real basis or information.
To describe trying something unlikely to succeed, often as a last resort.
Short for ダメで元々 (dame de motomoto), meaning 'no harm in trying even if it fails'. Very common in casual conversation.
当てずっぽう emphasizes a random guess without basis. 山勘 is a guess based on intuition or a hunch. ダメ元 focuses on the attempt despite low odds, not necessarily a guess.
I answered with a wild guess.
A common, slightly casual way to say a wild guess or shot in the dark. Often used with 言う or 答える.
That was just a shot in the dark.
A guess based on intuition or a hunch, often used in casual speech. Similar to 'gut feeling' but can imply a shot in the dark.
I answered with a shot in the dark and got it right.
A more formal or literary term for conjecture or guesswork. Less common in everyday speech.
His opinion is nothing more than a shot in the dark.
I asked on a shot in the dark, and they said yes.
The full form of ダメ元. Slightly more explicit, meaning 'even if it fails, it's no worse than before'.
It's a shot in the dark, but let's apply anyway.
Means 'sink or swim' or 'take a chance'. Used when the outcome is uncertain and you're risking it.
We have no choice but to take a shot in the dark.
I chose based on a hunch.
I confessed on a shot in the dark.