Translation guide
To guess or conclude based on incomplete evidence. In Japanese, this is often expressed through verbs of speculation, inference, or conjecture, with varying degrees of certainty and formality.
Expressing a personal guess or hunch, often without strong evidence.
A general term for surmising or inferring. Neutral and widely used.
From his reaction, I surmised that something had happened.
Conjecture or speculation, often with a nuance of guessing without solid grounds. Can imply a less reliable guess.
That's mere surmise.
A common pattern for 'I think it's probably...' Expresses a personal surmise in casual or neutral speech.
I surmise it will rain tomorrow.
A softer, more tentative way to express a surmise: 'I can't help but think that...'
I surmise he has already gone home.
Drawing a logical conclusion from available facts or clues.
To infer or reason out. More logical and systematic than 推測.
From the evidence left behind, they surmised the culprit was a man.
To sense or surmise based on subtle cues, often used for understanding someone's feelings or situation.
A formal pattern used in news or reports to indicate that something is surmised or believed to be the case.
Expressing a suspicion or gut feeling, often about something negative or hidden.
推測 is a general term for surmising or guessing. 憶測 often implies speculation without solid evidence, sometimes with a negative connotation of jumping to conclusions. 推論 is more logical and systematic, akin to 'inference' or 'deduction'.
That's just speculation.
Based on scientific inference.
The English word 'surmise' is relatively formal. In Japanese, directly translating it as 推測する is acceptable, but in casual conversation, patterns like ～だろうと思う or 気がする are more natural.
彼の沈黙から、何か悩みがあるのだと察した。
From his silence, I surmised he had some worry.
The cause of the accident is surmised to be human error.