1.
gambling, games of chance
The act of wagering money or valuables on games of chance. Carries a somewhat rougher, more informal tone than ギャンブル.
博打に手を出す。
Get into gambling.
昔は博打で生計を立てていた。
He used to make a living from gambling.
江戸時代には博打は厳しく取り締まられていた。
Gambling was strictly cracked down on during the Edo period.
2.
risky venture, gamble
Figuratively, any action or decision that involves significant risk and uncertain outcome.
これは大きな博打だ。
This is a big gamble.
転職は一つの博打だった。
Changing jobs was a gamble.
無名の新人を起用するのは博打だが、成功すれば大きい。
Hiring an unknown newcomer is a gamble, but if it works out, the payoff is huge.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 博打を打つ (gamble, place a bet)
- 博打に出る (take a gamble)
- 博打に手を出す (get involved in gambling)
- 大博打 (big gamble)
USAGE NOTES:
Also written as 博奕. Compared to ギャンブル, 博打 has a more traditional, rough-around-the-edges feel and often evokes images of underground or illicit gambling. The figurative sense 2 is very common in business and everyday conversation to describe risky decisions.