noun
being friend-zoned; being seen as just a nice person, not a romantic interest
Colloquial term for when someone is liked only as a friend, not as a potential romantic partner. Often used in casual conversation about dating.
彼に告白したら、いい人どまりだった。
When I confessed to him, I ended up just being friend-zoned.
いい人どまりで終わらないように、もっと積極的にアプローチしよう。
To avoid ending up in the friend zone, let's be more proactive in our approach.
Compound of いい人 (nice person) and どまり (stopping at, from 止まる). The phrase literally means 'stopping at being a nice person,' implying no further romantic development.