From the article, though cozy may be a rough translation, I see the author's point that cozy can't be a direct, precise translation.
The author writes that Oprah Winfrey is "gezellig," but it's a bit awkward to say that a person is "cozy." The English usage is correct to say that a person is "comforting." The author also writes that cheering on a sports team is "gezellig," along with going out in the evening with friends. But these activities seem high-energy to me, so "comforting" doesn't feel quite right (where as "gezellig" would feel completely right).
So, "gezellig" looks like a sentiment that is a mixture of "warm, comforting, and at-home," which can describe a person and also activities that are active and not necessarily passive. It's translatable, so I disagree with the author's premise that the word "gezellig" can't be translated, as the word is clearly translated by the author with abundant examples. However, I agree with the author's impression that a single English word cannot define the term.
I'm not familiar with "gezellig". The word "gemütlig" means roughly "comfortable", "comforting", "nice", and can be applied equally to a person or an environment. But it seems to have a particular resonance in German, possibly because Germans prize gemütligkeit very highly.
[Edit] Maybe that explains them having two words for it?
The author writes that Oprah Winfrey is "gezellig," but it's a bit awkward to say that a person is "cozy." The English usage is correct to say that a person is "comforting." The author also writes that cheering on a sports team is "gezellig," along with going out in the evening with friends. But these activities seem high-energy to me, so "comforting" doesn't feel quite right (where as "gezellig" would feel completely right).
So, "gezellig" looks like a sentiment that is a mixture of "warm, comforting, and at-home," which can describe a person and also activities that are active and not necessarily passive. It's translatable, so I disagree with the author's premise that the word "gezellig" can't be translated, as the word is clearly translated by the author with abundant examples. However, I agree with the author's impression that a single English word cannot define the term.