Contents
Meaning
“意表を突かれる” means to be surprised or caught off guard by something unexpected. It describes the experience of being taken by surprise when something happens that you didn’t anticipate or predict.
This expression literally means “to have one’s expectations pierced/struck,” conveying the idea that something breaks through your assumptions about what would happen.
In English, this can be expressed as:
- “to be caught off guard” – surprised because unprepared
- “to be taken by surprise” – unexpectedly surprised
- “to be taken aback” – shocked by something unexpected
- “to catch someone by surprise” – to surprise someone unexpectedly
- “to throw someone for a loop” (informal) – to surprise or confuse
- “to blindside someone” – to surprise completely
For example:
- “I was caught off guard by his sudden resignation.”
- “The plot twist in the movie really took me by surprise.”
- “Her direct question threw me for a loop.”
The phrase emphasizes that the surprise came from something going against your expectations or assumptions, rather than just being unexpected in a neutral way.
Example sentences
- 彼の突然の辞職に意表を突かれた。 I was caught off guard by his sudden resignation.
- 試験問題の難しさに意表を突かれた。 I was taken by surprise by the difficulty of the exam questions.
- 映画のラストシーンに意表を突かれて、涙が出た。 I was taken aback by the movie’s final scene and cried.
- 彼女の率直な質問に意表を突かれた。 Her direct question caught me off guard.
- 相手チームの奇策に意表を突かれて、負けてしまった。 We were caught by surprise by the opposing team’s unconventional strategy and lost.
- 内気だと思っていた彼が、パーティーで一番盛り上げていて意表を突かれた。 I was taken aback when the guy I thought was shy turned out to be the life of the party.
- 彼の提案の斬新さに意表を突かれた。 I was taken by surprise by the novelty of his proposal.
- いつも冷静な上司が怒鳴ったので、意表を突かれた。 I was caught off guard when my usually calm boss yelled.
- 彼女からの突然の告白に意表を突かれた。 I was blindsided by her sudden confession.
- ライバル会社の新製品に意表を突かれた。 We were caught by surprise by our rival company’s new product.
- 彼の意外な趣味に意表を突かれた。 I was taken aback by his unexpected hobby.
- 静かな会議が急に議論になって、意表を突かれた。 I was caught off guard when the quiet meeting suddenly turned into a heated debate.
- 子供の成長の早さに意表を突かれる毎日だ。 I’m constantly taken by surprise by how quickly my child is growing.
- 彼女の変わり果てた姿に意表を突かれた。 I was taken aback by how much she had changed.
- 試合終了間際の逆転劇に意表を突かれた。 I was caught by surprise by the comeback in the final moments of the game.
- 真面目な彼がジョークを言って、意表を突かれた。 I was thrown for a loop when the serious guy cracked a joke.
- 天気予報が外れて雨に降られ、意表を突かれた。 I was caught off guard when it rained despite the weather forecast.
- 彼の優しい一面を見て、意表を突かれた。 I was taken by surprise when I saw his kind side.
- 予想外の質問に意表を突かれて、答えに詰まった。 I was caught off guard by the unexpected question and struggled to answer.
- 敵だと思っていた人が味方だったことに意表を突かれた。 I was blindsided to discover that the person I thought was an enemy was actually an ally.
Conversation example
会話例1：映画の感想
A: 昨日観た映画、どうだった？ A: How was the movie you watched yesterday?
B: すごく良かった！ラストに意表を突かれたよ。 B: It was really good! I was caught off guard by the ending.
A: どんな展開だったの？ A: What kind of plot was it?
B: ネタバレになるから言えないけど、まさかあの人が犯人だとは思わなくて。完全に意表を突かれた。 B: I can’t say because it would be a spoiler, but I never expected that person to be the culprit. I was completely taken by surprise.
A: へー、それは観てみたいな。 A: Wow, I want to see it.
会話例2：スポーツの試合
A: 今日の試合、見た？ A: Did you watch today’s game?
B: 見た見た！最後の逆転劇、すごかったね。 B: Yeah! That comeback at the end was amazing.
A: 完全に意表を突かれたよ。あと1分で負けると思ってたのに。 A: I was totally caught off guard. I thought they’d lose with just one minute left.
B: 相手チームも意表を突かれただろうね。あの作戦は予想外だった。 B: The opposing team must have been taken by surprise too. That strategy was unexpected.
会話例3：職場での出来事
上司: 今日のプレゼン、田中さんが良かったね。 Boss: Tanaka’s presentation today was impressive.
部下: そうですね。正直、意表を突かれました。 Employee: Yes. Honestly, I was taken aback.
上司: いつも控えめだから？ Boss: Because he’s usually reserved?
部下: はい。まさかあんなに堂々と話せるとは思いませんでした。完全に意表を突かれました。 Employee: Yes. I never expected him to speak so confidently. I was completely caught off guard.
上司: 人は見かけによらないね。 Boss: You can’t judge a book by its cover.
会話例4：友人の結婚
A: 聞いた？佐藤さんが結婚するらしいよ。 A: Did you hear? Sato is getting married apparently.
B: え？本当？意表を突かれた！ B: What? Really? I’m taken by surprise!
A: でしょ？「一生独身でいい」って言ってたのにね。 A: Right? He always said he’d be single forever.
B: しかも相手が高校の同級生だって。完全に意表を突かれたよ。 B: And his partner is a high school classmate. I was completely caught off guard.
A: 人生何があるか分からないね。 A: You never know what life will bring.
会話例5：試験の結果
A: 試験、どうだった？ A: How was the exam?
B: 難しかった…問題の傾向が変わってて、意表を突かれたよ。 B: It was difficult… The question pattern changed and I was caught off guard.
A: え、そうなの？どう変わってたの？ A: Really? How did it change?
B: 今までは選択問題だったのに、全部記述式になってて。完全に意表を突かれた。 B: It used to be multiple choice, but it was all essay questions. I was completely taken by surprise.
A: それは大変だったね。 A: That must have been tough.
会話例6：プロポーズ
A: 昨日、彼にプロポーズされたの！ A: He proposed to me yesterday!
B: えー！おめでとう！どんな感じだったの？ B: Wow! Congratulations! How was it?
A: 完全に意表を突かれた。普通のデートだと思ってたら、レストランでサプライズで。 A: I was completely caught off guard. I thought it was a regular date, but he surprised me at the restaurant.
B: 素敵！全然気づかなかったの？ B: That’s wonderful! You didn’t notice at all?
A: 全然。意表を突かれて、最初は何が起きてるか分からなかったくらい。 A: Not at all. I was so taken by surprise that I didn’t even understand what was happening at first.
会話例7：ビジネスの話
A: ライバル会社の新製品、見ましたか？ A: Did you see our rival company’s new product?
B: 見ました。完全に意表を突かれましたね。 B: I did. We were completely caught off guard.
A: あの価格設定は予想外でした。 A: That pricing was unexpected.
B: ええ。我々も戦略を見直す必要がありますね。意表を突かれてばかりいられません。 B: Yes. We need to review our strategy. We can’t keep being caught by surprise.
