Nuance & Usage
安全 means safety or being safe from danger or harm. It functions as both a な-adjective (安全な場所 — a safe place) and a noun (安全を守る — to maintain safety). Key compounds: 安全運転 (anzen unten — safe driving), 食品安全 (shokuhin anzen — food safety), 安全対策 (anzen taisaku — safety measures), 安全地帯 (anzen chitai — safety zone). The opposite is 危険 (kiken — danger/dangerous). 安全第一 (anzen daiichi — safety first) is a well-known motto displayed at construction sites across Japan.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 安全 (anzen — safe, absence of danger) with 安心 (anshin — peace of mind, feeling reassured). 安全 is objective (the situation is safe); 安心 is subjective (the person feels at ease). A place can be 安全 but you might not feel 安心 there. Also, 安全な is a な-adjective — never say 安全い. Don't confuse with 平和 (heiwa — peace), which refers to the absence of conflict or war rather than physical safety.
Example Sentences (3)
この道は夜でも安全ですか？
このみちはよるでもあんぜんですか？
Is this road safe even at night?
安全のために、シートベルトを必ず締めてください。
あんぜんのために、しーとべるとをかならずしめてください。
For safety, please always fasten your seatbelt.
子どもたちが安全に遊べる公園を作りたい。
こどもたちがあんぜんにあそべるこうえんをつくりたい。
I want to create a park where children can play safely.
Quick Quiz
Quick Quiz
N34 questionsTest your knowledge of 安全 with 4 different question types.
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