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.
A common, slightly casual way to say a wild guess or shot in the dark. Often used with 言う or 答える.
それは当てずっぽうで言っただけです。
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.
A more formal or literary term for conjecture or guesswork. Less common in everyday speech.
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.
当てずっぽうで答えた。
I answered with a wild guess.
山勘で選んだ。
I chose based on a hunch.
ダメ元で告白した。
I confessed on a shot in the dark.
I answered with a shot in the dark and got it right.
彼の意見は当て推量に過ぎない。
His opinion is nothing more than a shot in the dark.
ダメ元で聞いてみたら、OKしてくれた。
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'.
ダメで元々だから、応募してみよう。
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.
一か八かやってみるしかない。
We have no choice but to take a shot in the dark.