Land mines are still buried in that area.
sensitive topic; trigger; taboo subject
Colloquial metaphorical use: a topic that, if brought up, will cause a strong negative reaction or argument.
Bringing up marriage with him is a minefield.
hidden trap; pitfall; booby trap
Colloquial: something that looks good initially but turns out to be a disaster, like a bad product or deal.
This game was fun at first, but the second half was a total letdown.
The soldiers planted land mines around the road.
Talking about her ex-boyfriend in front of her is a minefield.
I bought it because it was cheap, but it turned out to be a total dud.
There was a sound of a land mine exploding nearby.
I made sure to avoid that touchy subject during the meeting.
タブー is a general taboo subject that is off-limits by social convention, while 地雷 specifically warns that bringing it up will trigger a strong emotional reaction.
地雷 specifically means a landmine (an explosive device), whereas マイン is a broader loanword that can also refer to a mining site.
爆弾 refers to a bomb that is thrown or dropped and often explodes visibly, while 地雷 is buried and triggered by contact, and in slang 地雷 means a hidden pitfall rather than a shocking event like 爆弾発言.
機雷 is a mine placed in water to sink ships, while 地雷 is a mine buried on land to injure people or vehicles.
counter for small objects; counter for pieces · counter for military units · individual; one person · counter for years of age difference; counter for school years
Compound of 地 (ground) and 雷 (thunder), literally 'ground thunder'. The metaphorical senses derive from the sudden, destructive nature of land mines.