1.
to be caught in a trap; to be snared
Literally, to be caught in a physical trap set for animals.
鹿が罠にかかった。
A deer was caught in the trap.
猟師が仕掛けた罠にクマがかかった。
A bear was caught in a trap set by the hunter.
山で野生動物が罠にかかっているのを見つけて、助けようとした。
I found a wild animal caught in a trap in the mountains and tried to help it.
2.
to fall for a trick; to be deceived; to be trapped
Figuratively, to fall for someone's scheme, plot, or deception.
詐欺師の罠にかかってしまった。
I fell for the con artist's trap.
敵の罠にかからないように気をつけろ。
Be careful not to fall into the enemy's trap.
うまい話には必ず裏があるのに、まんまと罠にかかってしまった。
There's always a catch behind deals that seem too good to be true, but I fell right into the trap.
A common expression combining 罠 (trap) with かかる (to be caught, to get caught on). The literal sense refers to animal traps, while the figurative sense is widely used for deception, scams, and strategic maneuvers.
RELATED EXPRESSIONS:
- 罠を仕掛ける: to set a trap
- 罠に嵌める: to trap someone, to lure into a trap
- 罠に落ちる: to fall into a trap (similar meaning)
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 敵の罠にかかる: to fall into the enemy's trap
- 詐欺の罠にかかる: to fall for a scam
- まんまと罠にかかる: to fall squarely into a trap
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 騙される: to be deceived — more direct, focuses on the act of being tricked
- 引っかかる: to get caught, to fall for — casual expression for being tricked
- 嵌められる: to be set up, to be framed — implies someone deliberately entrapped you