1.
hitting the nail on the head; guessing exactly right
A remark or guess that lands precisely on the truth — usually one the other person was hoping to hide. Originally the black bull's-eye of an archery target. Nearly always used in the fixed phrases 図星だ and 図星を指す.
図星でしょう。
I'm right, aren't I?
Common expressions
- 図星だ: that's exactly right (usually said of someone else's guess about you)
- 図星を指す: to hit the nail on the head
- 図星を指される: to be seen right through
Usage
The word carries a sense of being caught out, so it usually appears where the truth was inconvenient — an evasion detected, a feeling one was hiding. Saying 図星だ about oneself is a light-hearted admission. From archery: the 図星 was the mark at the center of the target.