According to Wikipedia, it would be "舒适区" IN CHINESE- I would like to know if this is valid and recognizable in Japanese, too, or if there are more specific/nuanced terms to convey the same idea in Japanese.

Some examples of the meaning I am looking for, taken from Google definition of the term:

Comfort zone - noun

  • a situation where one feels safe or at ease. "the trip is an attempt to take the students out of their comfort zone"
  • a settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results. "if you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve"

Finally, Google Translate gives you "安全地帯" for it.

  • In what sense of the word? As in between two people? Could you give us an example sentence in English that you would like to express in Japanese? – Mac Jun 19 '14 at 14:02
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    I think the title of this topic can lead to a valid discussion question without closing it, but the body should be changed to eliminate that Chinese definition and add some kind of context. – istrasci Jun 19 '14 at 14:55
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    @mac example: "the first months at the new job were stressful because I found myself forced outside my comfort zone" is an example. – p.marino Jun 19 '14 at 15:04
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    If it is not off-topic, the translation 舒适区 sounds totally alien to Chinese ears. The Wikipedia page clearly refers to the definition of an technical term, which is not at all familiar to most Chinese speakers. If you aim for non-technical contexts, you cannot translate it literally. – Yang Muye Jun 20 '14 at 2:19

舒适区 is totally unfamiliar to Japanese. I don't even know what the first two kanjis are.

Anyway, if you want to emphasize the negative aspect of "comfort zone" and want to say "the place you can't stay forever", a good word for both of your examples is 「ぬるま湯【ゆ】」 (literally "tepid water").

ぬるま湯につかる = stay safe, avoid challenge, lack vitality

The trip is an attempt to take the students out of their comfort zone.

If you stay within your comfort zone you will never improve


安全地帯【あんぜんちたい】, or frequently abbreviated as 安地【あんち】 by gamers, is more like "safety zone", where you are physically safe.

If you don't like metaphorical phrases, "居心地【いごこち】のいい場所【ばしょ】" is more neutral and usable both in the positive and negative ways. Ex: 「居心地のいい場所にずっといても成長しない」「この部屋は居心地がいい」「居心地のいい場所を離れよう」

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    -1 for not giving the source of your example sentences. – l'électeur Jun 20 '14 at 0:17
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    If you think one of my examples are weird, please point it out specifically or edit it. As a native Japanese speaker, I really don't know how to give you citations for every example I write. – naruto Jun 20 '14 at 1:01
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    @naruto There's nothing weird about the English examples, as far as I can see. I think 非回答者 just wanted you to cite the source of your English sentences (apparently the Oxford Dictionary of English). – snailplane Jun 21 '14 at 0:57

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