Illegal in Different Languages
Discover 'Illegal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'illegal' carries significant weight in our global society, often denoting actions or activities that are not sanctioned by law. Its cultural importance is undeniable, as it helps maintain order and structure in communities worldwide. Understanding its translation in different languages can be a fascinating exploration into the nuances of various cultures and legal systems. For instance, in Spanish, 'illegal' becomes 'ilegal', while in French, it's 'illégal'. In German, the word is 'illegal', and in Japanese, it's '不法 (fuhou)'.
Delving deeper into the historical context of the word, we find that its origins can be traced back to Latin, where 'illegis' means 'not lawful'. This etymology highlights the word's enduring significance throughout history, as societies have continuously sought to define and regulate behavior through legal frameworks.
With that in mind, let's explore the translations of 'illegal' in even more languages, shedding light on the unique cultural and linguistic aspects of these diverse communities.
Illegal
Illegal in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | onwettig | ||
| The word "onwettig" is derived from the Dutch word "onwettig", which means "unlawful" or "contrary to law". | |||
| Amharic | ሕገወጥ | ||
| The Amharic word ሕገወጥ can also mean "harmful". | |||
| Hausa | ba bisa doka ba | ||
| The phrase "ba bisa doka ba" in Hausa is derived from the root word "bisa", which carries a broad sense of "right", "appropriate" and "lawful" in various grammatical and idiomatic forms. | |||
| Igbo | n'uzo na ezighi ezi | ||
| Malagasy | tsy ara-dalàna | ||
| "Tsy Ara-dalàna" is the direct translation of "not following the path" and has multiple meanings, also referring to "wrongdoing", "injustice", and "immorality". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | oletsedwa | ||
| In some contexts, 'oletsedwa' can also refer to 'unacceptable' or 'unlawful'. | |||
| Shona | zvisiri pamutemo | ||
| Somali | sharci darro ah | ||
| The word "sharci darro ah" literally translates to "against the law" in Somali. | |||
| Sesotho | molaong | ||
| The word "molaong" in Sesotho can also mean "wrongful" or "incorrect". | |||
| Swahili | haramu | ||
| The Swahili word "haramu" is derived from the Arabic word "haram", which means "forbidden" or "unlawful." | |||
| Xhosa | engekho mthethweni | ||
| The word "engekho mthethweni" can also mean "unlawful" or "against the law". | |||
| Yoruba | arufin | ||
| The Yoruba word "arufin" also refers to a forbidden act or practice. | |||
| Zulu | engekho emthethweni | ||
| Engekho emthethweni is not a native Zulu word but a loan word from Afrikaans, where it literally means "not within the law." | |||
| Bambara | a ma daga | ||
| Ewe | mele se nu o | ||
| Kinyarwanda | bitemewe | ||
| Lingala | endimami te na mibeko | ||
| Luganda | okumenya amateeka | ||
| Sepedi | sego molaong | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmara tia | ||
Illegal in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | غير شرعي | ||
| The word "غير شرعي" also means "illegitimate" or "not according to law". | |||
| Hebrew | בִּלתִי חוּקִי | ||
| בִּלתִי חוּקִי can also mean "irregular" or "not in accordance with established rules" in Hebrew. | |||
| Pashto | غیرقانوني | ||
| The word "غیرقانوني" is the Pashto equivalent of the English word "illegal". | |||
| Arabic | غير شرعي | ||
| The word "غير شرعي" also means "illegitimate" or "not according to law". | |||
Illegal in Western European Languages
| Albanian | i paligjshëm | ||
| The word "i paligjshëm" in Albanian derives from the Old Slavic word "правъ" (pravi), meaning "right" or "true". | |||
| Basque | legez kanpokoa | ||
| The word "legez kanpokoa" in Basque derives from the words "lege" (law) and "kanpokoa" (outside), hence meaning "outside the law". It also carries the connotation of being "against the norm" or "abnormal". | |||
| Catalan | il·legal | ||
| The Catalan word "il·legal" originally meant "not legitimate" but has since evolved to mean "illegal" in the sense of "against the law." | |||
| Croatian | ilegalno | ||
| The word "ilegalno" can also mean "illegitimate" in Croatian. | |||
| Danish | ulovlig | ||
| Ulovlig shares roots with "lov" meaning "law" or "permission". | |||
| Dutch | onwettig | ||
| "Onwettig" originates from the Old Dutch word "onwet," meaning "not knowing" or "ignorant," and "wettig," meaning "legitimate" or "valid." | |||
| English | illegal | ||
| The word "illegal" derives from the Latin "illegalis," meaning "not according to law." | |||
| French | illégal | ||
| The French word "illégal" also has the obsolete meaning of "unlegitimate" as in an illegitimate child. | |||
| Frisian | yllegaal | ||
| The word "yllegaal" in Frisian also means "not allowed" or "forbidden." | |||
| Galician | ilegal | ||
| The word "ilegal" in Galician can also refer to "invalid", "null", or "unlawful". | |||
| German | illegal | ||
| The German term "illegal" is derived from Latin, meaning "not in accordance with the law". | |||
| Icelandic | ólöglegt | ||
| The word "ólöglegt" in Icelandic, meaning "illegal," derives from the Old Norse "ólagligt," which also meant "unjust" or "wrongful." | |||
| Irish | mídhleathach | ||
| Italian | illegale | ||
| The Italian word "illegale" also means "not logical". | |||
| Luxembourgish | illegal | ||
| The word "illegal" in Luxembourgish can also mean "unlawfully acquired". | |||
| Maltese | illegali | ||
| The word "illegali" in Maltese originates from the Italian word for "illegal", but is also used to refer to someone who is not born in Malta. | |||
| Norwegian | ulovlig | ||
| This word originally meant 'not permitted' or 'not according to law', but its significance shifted to 'illegal' over time. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | ilegal | ||
| In Portuguese, "ilegal" also means "illegitimate" or "unlawful". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | mì-laghail | ||
| In medieval Scotland, "mì-laghail" could also refer to someone who had committed a crime worthy of death or exile. | |||
| Spanish | ilegal | ||
| In Spanish, "ilegal" also means "illegitimate" or "improper", implying a lack of morality or legitimacy beyond legal implications. | |||
| Swedish | olaglig | ||
| The word 'olaglig' can also refer to something that is 'unlawful' or 'unjust'. | |||
| Welsh | anghyfreithlon | ||
| In Welsh, "anghyfreithlon" can also mean "unfair" or "unjust." | |||
Illegal in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | незаконны | ||
| The word "незаконны" in Belarusian is derived from the Old East Slavic word "законъ", which means "law". The word "незаконны" means "not in accordance with the law". | |||
| Bosnian | ilegalno | ||
| The word 'ilegalno' comes from the Latin word 'illegalis', which means 'unlawful'. It can also be used to describe things that are against the social or moral code. | |||
| Bulgarian | незаконно | ||
| The word "незаконно" can also mean "unauthorized" or "unlawful" in Bulgarian. | |||
| Czech | ilegální | ||
| The word "ilegální" is derived from Latin and means "contrary to law" or "unlawful". | |||
| Estonian | illegaalne | ||
| The word "illegaalne" comes from the Estonian for "against the law" and can also refer to something that is "not allowed". | |||
| Finnish | laiton | ||
| The word "laiton" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *lai̯ta, meaning "outlaw" or "stranger." | |||
| Hungarian | illegális | ||
| In Hungarian, the word "illegális" comes from the Latin word "illegalis", meaning "contrary to law". | |||
| Latvian | nelegāls | ||
| The word "nelegāls" (illegal) in Latvian is derived from "ne- + legāls" (not + legal) and has the alternate meaning of "unlawful". | |||
| Lithuanian | neteisėtas | ||
| Lithuanian word "neteisėtas" is cognate with Old Church Slavonic "neправедно" which means "unjust" or "unethical". | |||
| Macedonian | незаконски | ||
| The word "незаконски" can also mean "illegitimate", "unlawful" or "unauthorized" in some contexts. | |||
| Polish | nielegalny | ||
| The Polish word 'nielegalny', derived from 'nie-' ('no') and 'legalny' ('lawful'), carries the same meaning in both Polish and Latin. | |||
| Romanian | ilegal | ||
| The Romanian word "ilegal" originates from Latin "illēgālis" which means "not permissible by law" | |||
| Russian | незаконный | ||
| "Незаконный" derives from "не-законный" (not-legal) and also means "illegitimate" or "unlawful." | |||
| Serbian | илегално | ||
| The Serbian word 'илегално' comes from the French word 'illegal' and has the same meaning, but it can also refer to something that is secret or clandestine. | |||
| Slovak | nelegálne | ||
| The word "nelegálne" in Slovak is derived from the Latin word "illegalis," meaning "not according to law; contrary to the law." | |||
| Slovenian | nezakonito | ||
| The word "nezakonito" can also refer to illegitimacy or the state of being illegitimate. | |||
| Ukrainian | незаконний | ||
| The word "незаконний" in Ukrainian is derived from the Proto-Slavic **ne-zakonъ**, meaning "not according to the law". | |||
Illegal in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | অবৈধ | ||
| "অবৈধ" originally meant "not legal" or "not legitimate". In the 19th century, its meaning gradually expanded to include "contrary to law" or "unlawful". | |||
| Gujarati | ગેરકાયદેસર | ||
| The term "illegal" stems from the Latin "in-legalis" meaning "not within the law" and has been used in English since the 13th century. | |||
| Hindi | अवैध | ||
| The Sanskrit word अवैध, meaning 'not legal,' is also used in law and other contexts to mean 'unlawful.' | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾನೂನುಬಾಹಿರ | ||
| The word "ಕಾನೂನುಬಾಹಿರ" in Kannada is derived from the Sanskrit word "कानूनविहीन" (kānunavihīna), which literally means "without law" or "lawless". | |||
| Malayalam | നിയമവിരുദ്ധം | ||
| Marathi | बेकायदेशीर | ||
| The word "बेकायदेशीर" comes from the Sanskrit word "अकायदेशिर," which means "not according to law." | |||
| Nepali | अवैध | ||
| The word अवैध (illegal) derives from the Sanskrit word "vidhi" (law), with the negative prefix "a" (not) added. | |||
| Punjabi | ਗੈਰ ਕਾਨੂੰਨੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නීති විරෝධී | ||
| Tamil | சட்டவிரோதமானது | ||
| Telugu | చట్టవిరుద్ధం | ||
| Illegal comes from the Latin word "in" and "legalis", which means "not lawful". | |||
| Urdu | غیر قانونی | ||
| "غیر قانونی" means "unlawful" or "not in accordance with the law" in Urdu. | |||
Illegal in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 非法 | ||
| The word "非法" (illegal) can also mean "against the law" or "contrary to the law" in Chinese. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 非法 | ||
| "非法" can also refer to things not following the correct format, in addition to its well known meaning of illegal or unlawful. | |||
| Japanese | 違法 | ||
| 違法 also means "against the law" in Japanese. | |||
| Korean | 불법 | ||
| "불법" can also mean "outlaw" or "lawless". | |||
| Mongolian | хууль бус | ||
| The word "хууль бус" can also mean "against the law", "unlawful", and "not allowed". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရားမဝင် | ||
Illegal in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | liar | ||
| "Liar" is derived from the Malay word "liar", which can also mean "treacherous". | |||
| Javanese | ilegal | ||
| The term 'ilegal' in Javanese also refers to an uncultivated field or forest, indicating the absence of human intervention. | |||
| Khmer | ខុសច្បាប់ | ||
| Lao | ຜິດກົດ ໝາຍ | ||
| Malay | haram | ||
| The word "haram" comes from the Arabic word "haram", which means "forbidden" or "prohibited". It is also used to refer to things that are considered unclean or impure. | |||
| Thai | ผิดกฎหมาย | ||
| The root word "-กฎ" in ""ผิดกฎหมาย"" means to control, hence ""not under control"" which in turn means ""against rule or law"" | |||
| Vietnamese | bất hợp pháp | ||
| The word "bất hợp pháp" is derived from the Chinese word "非法", meaning "against the law". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilegal | ||
Illegal in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qanunsuz | ||
| "Qanun" means "law" in Turkish and Arabic, and "suz" means "without" in Azerbaijani. Therefore, "qanunsuz" means "illegal". | |||
| Kazakh | заңсыз | ||
| The Kazakh word "заңсыз" can also be used to describe a person who is "disobedient" or "unruly". | |||
| Kyrgyz | мыйзамсыз | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "мыйзамсыз" can also mean "unlawful" or "unrighteous". | |||
| Tajik | ғайриқонунӣ | ||
| ғайриқонунӣ (ghayriqonunī) is borrowed from Arabic and literally means “out of law”. In Persian, it has the alternate meaning of “unfair”. | |||
| Turkmen | bikanun | ||
| Uzbek | noqonuniy | ||
| "Noqonuniy" derives from Arabic root "QnN" (to forbid) and was used with a similar meaning in pre-Islamic times. | |||
| Uyghur | قانۇنسىز | ||
Illegal in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kū ʻole i ke kānāwai | ||
| The Hawaiian word "kū ʻole i ke kānāwai" can also mean "not within the law," "against the law," "not according to the law," or "contrary to the law." | |||
| Maori | ture kore ture | ||
| "Ture" is the Maori word for "law" and "kore" means "not". | |||
| Samoan | faʻatulafonoina | ||
| The word "faʻatulafonoina" in Samoan is derived from "faʻa" (meaning "to make"), "tulafono" (meaning "law"), and "-ina" (meaning "passive"), suggesting that something has been made contrary to the law. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | iligal | ||
| The word "iligal" in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word "ilegal", which means "unlawful" or "contrary to law." | |||
Illegal in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | jan chiqaparu | ||
| Guarani | leimboykeha | ||
Illegal in International Languages
| Esperanto | kontraŭleĝa | ||
| The Esperanto word "kontraŭleĝa" is derived from the Latin word "contra" (against) and the Esperanto word "leĝo" (law). | |||
| Latin | contra legem | ||
| Contra legem, which literally means "against the law," also carries connotations of "contrary to a command or prohibition." | |||
Illegal in Others Languages
| Greek | παράνομος | ||
| The word 'παράνομος' originally implied deviation from ethical and religious norms, but today it predominantly denotes violation of formal laws. | |||
| Hmong | tsis raug cai | ||
| In Hmong, "tsis raug cai" can also mean "not allowed" or "forbidden." | |||
| Kurdish | neqanûnî | ||
| Turkish | yasadışı | ||
| The word "yasadışı" derives from the Turkish words "yasa" ("law") and "dışı" ("outside"), indicating that something is "outside the law" or prohibited. | |||
| Xhosa | engekho mthethweni | ||
| The word "engekho mthethweni" can also mean "unlawful" or "against the law". | |||
| Yiddish | ומלעגאַל | ||
| The Yiddish word "ומלעגאַל" comes from the Hebrew word "מלכות" ("kingdom") and means "outside the law" or "unlawful". | |||
| Zulu | engekho emthethweni | ||
| Engekho emthethweni is not a native Zulu word but a loan word from Afrikaans, where it literally means "not within the law." | |||
| Assamese | বেআইনী | ||
| Aymara | jan chiqaparu | ||
| Bhojpuri | अवैध | ||
| Dhivehi | ހުއްދަނޫން | ||
| Dogri | नजैज | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | ilegal | ||
| Guarani | leimboykeha | ||
| Ilocano | ilegal | ||
| Krio | di lɔ nɔ de alaw | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | نایاسایی | ||
| Maithili | गैरकानूनी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯏꯟꯅ ꯌꯥꯗꯕ | ||
| Mizo | dan lo | ||
| Oromo | seeraan ala | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ବେଆଇନ | | ||
| Quechua | mana iñisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | अवैध | ||
| Tatar | законсыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ዘይሕጋዊ | ||
| Tsonga | riki nawini | ||