Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Dictionary Tools ▾
    • Furigana and Definition Lookup
    • Japanese Synonym Finder
    • Katakana Word Converter
  • Blog Posts ▾
    • Latest Posts
    • Phrases by Topic
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
  • Lesson Slides ▾
    • For Complete Beginners
    • For Intermediate/Advanced Learners
  • Vocab List
  • Social Media
  • About
  • 英語学習サイト
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / ヤマを張る (yama wo haru): Meaning | 英訳

ヤマを張る (yama wo haru): Meaning | 英訳

May 30, 2021

Table of Contents

  • Definition
  • Usage
  • Origin
  • Example
  • Related Words
    • Synonym
      • 予測(よそう)する: predict
    • Antonym
      • 予言(よげん)する: prophesy
  • Related Post
    • Student-Relatable Japanese Expressions About Exams/Studies

Definition

ヤマを張(は)る (yama o haru) is a Japanese idiom that means “make a guess/guestimate”.

Usage

This expression is particularly used when you guestimate the questions/topics/subjects you will be asked in an exam, and focus on studying them to prepare for it. For instance, if you have a Japanese exam tomorrow, you may focus on studying keigo only, hoping that there will be many keigo-related questions. Some people are audacious enough to take a hit-or-miss strategy and study only what they guess will be asked in the exam while completely ignoring the other subjects.

Origin

In fact, ヤマを張る is also written as “山を張る”, where 山 means “mountain”. One of the theories of the origin has it that this idiom refers to how miners used to “strike gold” in the old days. There is also another related word, “山勘 (やまかん)”, which means “a random guess” and sounds more random and less reliable than just 勘 (かん), meaning “guess/intuition”. When you make a right guess, you can say “ヤマ/山勘/勘が当(あ)たった” and when you make a wrong one, that is “ヤマ/山勘/勘が外(はず)れた”.

Example

明日 (あした) 、日本語の試験(しけん)があるけど、時間(じかん)がないから ヤマを張って敬語(けいご)だけ勉強 (べんきょう)しよう。
I have a Japanese exam tomorrow, but I don’t have much time left so I’ll guestimate the questions and study keigo only.

ヤマが当たって良(い)い点(てん)が取(と)れた
I made the right guess and could get good marks

Related Words

Synonym

予測(よそう)する: predict

Antonym

予言(よげん)する: prophesy

Related Post

Student-Relatable Japanese Expressions About Exams/Studies

Student-Relatable Japanese Expressions About Exams/Studies

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Related Posts

  • 気のせい (ki no sei): Meaning | 英訳

  • 気の毒 (kinodoku): Meaning | 英訳

  • 道草を食う (Michikusa o kuu): Meaning | 英訳

  • “High School Debut” in Japanese: Meaning and Examples

    “High School Debut” in Japanese: Meaning and Examples

  • Meaning of 一目惚れ (ひとめぼれ, hitome bore)

Featured Posts:

  • Japanese Conversation Practice to Master 気-related Idioms
  • “Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 40 Ways of Saying "Many" in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More...)
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Popular Posts:

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means MORE Than “Anyway”
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning “Go-Home Club”
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Japanese Words and Phrases About Love
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ブログランキング・にほんブログ村へPVアクセスランキング にほんブログ村

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Trending Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning “Go-Home Club”
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means MORE Than “Anyway”
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Zagin De Shīsū: Japanese “Back Slang” From 1980s Explained
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • Japanese Kanji Words with Multiple Meanings and Readings
  • Meaning of “May Disease” (五月病, gogatsu byou) in Japanese
  • 20 Japanese Words For Rain
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Idioms and Proverbs Common in Japanese and English
  • Japanese Words and Phrases About Love
  • List of Confusing “Japlish/Janglish” (Japanese English)

Popular Posts

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese

Words by Theme

  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)

Idiom

  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”
  • How The Japanese Word 神 (Kami, ‘God’) Is Used Metaphorically
  • Japanese Money-Related Idioms and Slang Words

Japlish

  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)

Slang

  • 女たらし (onna tarashi) Meaning ‘Lady’s Man’ in Japanese
  • Toka, Kana, Kamo: Japanese Vague Expressions
  • Japanese “活 Words”: 婚活 (Konkatsu), 就活/終活 (Shūkatsu)

Column

  • “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • イチロー (Ichiro): What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans
  • Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

Grammar

  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference

日本語記事

  • 深夜テンションとハイテンションを英語で説明
  • 「遠慮のかたまり」と「遠慮する」を英語で説明
  • 「役不足」の正しい意味を英語に訳す
  • 「背水の陣」のように決死の覚悟で挑む状況を英語で
  • 「ブーメラン」のスラングの意味を英語に訳す

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved

x
x