勘

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 勘 (かん) is a noun for intuition, a hunch, or a knack often developed through experience.
• Basic usage: 勘を頼りに means guided by intuition, while 勘が働く means a hunch comes into play.
  • 長年の勘を頼りに、職人は火加減を調整した。 — The artisan adjusted the heat, guided by instincts developed through years of experience.
  • 勘が働いて、彼は契約書をもう一度読み直した。 — A hunch prompted him to read the contract again.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Inference and experienced intuition
  • 推測 is an inference from information, while 勘 more often means an immediate judgment that may be hard to explain but is grounded in experience.