kentō mo tsukanai lit. ‘can’t even get a bearing’
Japanese idiom, everyday. To have no idea at all.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Japanese speaker.
How do people use 見当もつかない
?
Everyday Japanese, used whenever you can’t even guess: what time it is, what something costs, what’s going on. It usually follows a question clause with か (“何が起きてるのか、見当もつかない”). Add 全く or 皆目 in front for a stronger “not the faintest idea”.
Also said 見当がつかない, 皆目見当がつかない
見当もつかない
in real sentences
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どうすればいいのか、全く見当もつかない。
Dō sureba ii no ka, mattaku kentō mo tsukanai.
I don’t have the slightest idea what to do.
Tatoeba, sentence by small_snow, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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何が起きてるのか、見当もつかないよ。
Nani ga okiteru no ka, kentō mo tsukanai yo.
I’ve no idea what’s happening.
Tatoeba, sentence by small_snow, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does 見当もつかない
come from?
見当 first meant the direction you aim at: Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (via Kotobank) quotes it from 1830 for a target missed, and from the Jinkaishū law code (1533) for an estimate. The Daijisen also lists a printer’s register mark, the guide that shows where the paper goes. So not being able to fix your 見当 is like having nothing to aim at.
Mistakes learners make with 見当もつかない
Using it for a fact you simply don’t know, like someone’s name. It’s about not being able to estimate or work something out, so for a plain gap in knowledge 知らない is more natural.
Other Japanese idioms like 見当もつかない
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