思おもう壺つぼ

お

も

う

つ

ぼ

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

just as one planned; right where one wants; just as expected

Used when a situation develops exactly as someone intended, often with a nuance of the person being trapped or manipulated. Common in the phrase 思う壺にはまる (to fall into someone's trap, to play right into someone's hands).

彼かれが怒おこるのは相あい手ての思おもう壺つぼだ。

Getting angry is exactly what the other person wants.

挑ちょう発はつに乗のったら思おもう壺つぼだよ。

If you take the bait, you'll be playing right into their hands.

Expressions

思おもう壺つぼにはまるto turn out just as one wished; to play into one's hands

Kanji

思think
壺jar, pot
壷jar, pot, hinge knuckle

Related words

思おも惑わく
思惑 refers to one's expectations or intentions, while 思う壺 emphasizes that a situation is unfolding exactly as someone planned, often with a manipulative nuance.

Built from

思おもう+壺つぼ

Written forms

思おもう壺つぼ
Standard kanji spelling; 壺 is the regular form, while 壷 is a variant.
思おもうつぼ
Kana spelling of the second element; common in everyday writing.
思おもうツボ
Katakana spelling of the second element; often used for emphasis or in casual contexts.
思おもう壷つぼ
Variant kanji form; 壷 is a less common alternative to 壺.

Etymology

From 思う (to think) and 壺 (pot, jar), literally 'the pot one thinks of'. The metaphor likely comes from the idea of something fitting perfectly into a container, i.e., a situation matching one's expectations exactly.