Justice in Different Languages
Discover 'Justice' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Justice: a simple word, yet it holds immense significance and cultural importance across the globe. Derived from the Latin word iustitia, justice represents the quality of being fair and reasonable. It is a concept deeply ingrained in various societies, religions, and legal systems, symbolizing balance, equality, and righteousness.
Throughout history, the pursuit of justice has been a central theme in many cultural movements, literary works, and political discourses. From the ancient Greek concept of dikaiosyne to the modern English interpretation, the idea of justice has evolved and adapted to different cultural contexts, yet its core values remain unchanged.
Understanding the translation of justice in different languages not only enriches our vocabulary but also offers a glimpse into the unique cultural perspectives of various societies. For instance, in Spanish, justice is justicia, in French, it is justice, and in Japanese, it is せい faire (sei meaning justice and faire meaning to make).
Join us as we explore the translations of justice in various languages, providing you with a unique journey through culture and language.
Justice
Justice in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | geregtigheid | ||
| In Afrikaans, the word "geregtigheid" is derived from the Dutch word "gerechtigheid" and ultimately traces back to Latin via Old Saxon | |||
| Amharic | ፍትህ | ||
| The Amharic word "ፍትህ" is derived from the Arabic word "فتوح" which refers to 'success, victory' but has also been influenced by the Latin word "iustitia" meaning "justice." | |||
| Hausa | adalci | ||
| The Hausa word "adalci" can also mean "fairness" and "equity." | |||
| Igbo | ikpe ziri ezi | ||
| "Ikpe" (judgement) + "ziri" (sit) + "ezi" (right) = to sit to judge the right thing. | |||
| Malagasy | ny rariny | ||
| The Malagasy word "ny rariny" (justice) is derived from the root word "rariny" (law), which itself comes from the Arabic word "قانون" (law). | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chilungamo | ||
| "Chilungamo" in Nyanja derives from the verb "kulunga" (to set right, straighten), thus encompassing the idea of restoring balance or equilibrium. | |||
| Shona | kururamisira | ||
| In Shona, 'kururamisira' is a compound word that means to rectify or set something right. | |||
| Somali | cadaalada | ||
| The Somali word cadaalad is cognate with the Arabic word 'adal, meaning 'equity' or 'fairness. | |||
| Sesotho | toka | ||
| The word 'toka' was originally used to mean the settling of issues, such as when a quarrel was put to rest. | |||
| Swahili | haki | ||
| In Swahili, 'haki' also denotes a proper or rightful state or condition, and an ethical or religious law or principle. | |||
| Xhosa | ubulungisa | ||
| "Ubulungisa" may also mean fairness, righteousness, or law and order. | |||
| Yoruba | ododo | ||
| The Yoruba word "ododo" also means "calmness or peace" which highlights the idea that justice brings about a state of tranquility. | |||
| Zulu | ubulungiswa | ||
| The word 'ubulungiswa' is derived from the verb 'ukulunga', meaning 'to make right or just'. | |||
| Bambara | tílennenya | ||
| Ewe | ʋɔnudɔdrɔ nyuie | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ubutabera | ||
| Lingala | bosembo | ||
| Luganda | obwenkanya | ||
| Sepedi | toka | ||
| Twi (Akan) | pɛrepɛreyɛ | ||
Justice in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | عدالة | ||
| The word عدالة ('justice') also carries the meaning of "equitness" and is etymologically related to the root عَدَل ('balance'). | |||
| Hebrew | צֶדֶק | ||
| "צֶדֶק" is also the Hebrew word for "charity," and is related to the word for "righteousness". | |||
| Pashto | عدالت | ||
| The Pashto word "عدالت" can also refer to "balance" or "equity". | |||
| Arabic | عدالة | ||
| The word عدالة ('justice') also carries the meaning of "equitness" and is etymologically related to the root عَدَل ('balance'). | |||
Justice in Western European Languages
| Albanian | drejtësia | ||
| In Albanian, the word "drejtësia" can also mean "right, correctness, honesty, and fairness." | |||
| Basque | justizia | ||
| "Justizia" is derived from the Latin word "iustitia, | |||
| Catalan | justícia | ||
| The Catalan word "justícia" derives from the Latin "iustitia", ultimately originating from "ius", meaning "law" or "right". | |||
| Croatian | pravda | ||
| The Croatian word 'pravda,' meaning 'justice,' is derived from a Proto-Slavic word meaning 'righteousness' or 'truth'. | |||
| Danish | retfærdighed | ||
| Retfærdighed, the Danish word for justice, is etymologically related to "ret" (law) and "færdig" (complete, ready), implying "making things right according to the law." | |||
| Dutch | gerechtigheid | ||
| It derives from Germaan *gahraiht- that means ‘agreement’, ‘meeting’ or ‘court’, and is related to ‘gericht’. | |||
| English | justice | ||
| The word "justice" derives from the Latin "jus," meaning "law," and implies the fair distribution of rewards and punishments. | |||
| French | justice | ||
| The French word "justice" can also mean "lawsuit" or "court case". | |||
| Frisian | rjocht | ||
| In West Frisian, 'rjocht' also means 'straight' or 'correct'. | |||
| Galician | xustiza | ||
| The Galician word "xustiza" originally meant "judgment" or "sentence", and is related to the Latin "iudicium" (judgment). | |||
| German | gerechtigkeit | ||
| The German word 'Gerechtigkeit' derives from the Old High German 'garihti', meaning a right, claim or legal proceeding. | |||
| Icelandic | réttlæti | ||
| The Icelandic 'réttlæti' is related to the Old Norse 'réttr' (meaning 'straight') and 'lög' (meaning 'law'). | |||
| Irish | ceartas | ||
| The word "ceartas" in Irish comes from the Proto-Celtic word "*kʷr̥tós", which means "right, justice, law". | |||
| Italian | giustizia | ||
| The word "giustizia" derives from the Latin "iustitia", which means "justice" or "right", and also encompasses the concept of "fairness". | |||
| Luxembourgish | gerechtegkeet | ||
| The word "Gerechtegkeet" also refers to the "judiciary" or "justice system". | |||
| Maltese | ġustizzja | ||
| The Maltese word "ġustizzja" comes from the Latin word "justitia", meaning "justice", "law", or "right." | |||
| Norwegian | rettferdighet | ||
| "Rettferdighet" literally means "righteousness" or "rightness," reflecting the idea that justice is based on moral principles. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | justiça | ||
| The Portuguese word "justiça" is ultimately derived from the Latin word "justitia", which means "justice, fairness, and right." | |||
| Scots Gaelic | ceartas | ||
| The word ``ceartas'' is likely related to the Proto-Celtic root, ``*ᶍert,'' and is cognate with Irish ``ceart'' which means ``just''. | |||
| Spanish | justicia | ||
| The word "justicia" comes from the Latin word "iustus," which means "right" or "fair." | |||
| Swedish | rättvisa | ||
| "Rättvisa" (justice) can also refer to "a dish," possibly from an old legal custom of giving food to judges. | |||
| Welsh | cyfiawnder | ||
| "Cyfiawnder" is derived from the Proto-Celtic word "*kʷen-dh(e)i̯-", meaning "to strike or hurt", and connotes the idea of righting a wrong. | |||
Justice in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | справядлівасць | ||
| In Polish, "sprawiedliwosc" means "justice", derived from the Old Church Slavonic "pravda", meaning "truth" or "right". | |||
| Bosnian | pravda | ||
| The word 'pravda' comes from an Indo-European root shared by the Greek 'brabeus' ('judge') and the Russian 'prav' ('correct'). | |||
| Bulgarian | справедливост | ||
| Справедливост derives from the word правдa or "pravda", meaning "truth" or "correct". | |||
| Czech | spravedlnost | ||
| "Spravedlnost" also means "fairness" or "equity" in the Czech language. | |||
| Estonian | õiglus | ||
| "Õiglus" derives from Indo-European roots via proto-Finnic *oikeus, and is originally synonymous with "right" and "law" | |||
| Finnish | oikeudenmukaisuus | ||
| Oikeudenmukaisuus is a Finnish term related to justice and law derived from the words "oikeus" (law) and "mukaisuus" (compliance). | |||
| Hungarian | igazságszolgáltatás | ||
| The Hungarian word "igazságszolgáltatás" literally means "the serving of truth". | |||
| Latvian | taisnīgums | ||
| The Latvian word “Taisnīgums” (“justice”) was formed from the ancient Latgalian word “teis”, meaning “a proper way” or “a rule.” | |||
| Lithuanian | teisingumas | ||
| "Teisingumas" is derived from the Proto-Baltic root *teisa-, meaning "truth" or "law"} | |||
| Macedonian | правда | ||
| The word "правда" also means "right" and "truth" in Old Church Slavonic and Russian, as opposed to "кривда", which means "injustice", "wrong" and "lie". | |||
| Polish | sprawiedliwość | ||
| The Polish word 'sprawiedliwość' is derived from the word 'sprawiedliwy,' meaning 'fair' or 'rightful,' with the suffix '-ość' to form a noun. | |||
| Romanian | justiţie | ||
| The Romanian word "justiţie" is derived from the Latin word "iustitia", which means "justice" but can also refer to "law" or "right". | |||
| Russian | справедливость | ||
| The modern Russian word for justice, справедливость originates from the Old West Slavic language. | |||
| Serbian | правда | ||
| "Правда" also means "truth" in Serbian, which reflects the close relationship between justice and truth in the Serbian worldview. | |||
| Slovak | spravodlivosť | ||
| The Slovak word "spravodlivosť" also means "honesty" and "fairness". | |||
| Slovenian | pravičnost | ||
| "Pravičnost" is the Slovenian word for justice, which is derived from the Slavic root "prav", meaning "right", and can also refer to fairness, equity, or morality. | |||
| Ukrainian | справедливість | ||
| The word "справедливість" originates from the Proto-Slavic word *pravda*, which means "right" or "correct". | |||
Justice in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বিচার | ||
| Derived from the Sanskrit root 'vi-char', 'বিচার' also means 'consideration', 'examination', or 'deliberation'. | |||
| Gujarati | ન્યાય | ||
| In Gujarati, the word "ન્યાય" (nyaya) can also refer to "logic" or "reasoning," reflecting the interconnectedness of justice and rational thought in the Gujarati language and culture. | |||
| Hindi | न्याय | ||
| The word "न्याय" originates from the Sanskrit word "ni", meaning "to lead" or "to guide", and refers to the ethical principles that govern societal conduct. | |||
| Kannada | ನ್ಯಾಯ | ||
| The term 'ನ್ಯಾಯ' can also be used to describe the correct way of things, such as the 'ನ್ಯಾಯ' (correct way) of speaking, eating or dressing. | |||
| Malayalam | നീതി | ||
| The term 'neethi' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'niti', meaning 'law' or 'principle'. It is also used in the sense of 'righteousness' or 'virtue'. | |||
| Marathi | न्याय | ||
| The word 'न्याय' ('justice') in Marathi has its roots in the Sanskrit word 'nyāya', which can also mean logic, reasoning, or fairness. | |||
| Nepali | न्याय | ||
| "न्याय" is an ancient Sanskrit word, originating from the root "yaj", meaning to join or reconcile. It implies the act of bringing harmony and fairness in society through ethical principles and moral laws. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿਆਂ | ||
| The word "ਨਿਆਂ" (justice) in Punjabi originates from the Sanskrit word "न्याय" (nyāya), meaning "righteousness" or "what is right." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | යුක්තිය | ||
| The word "යුක්තිය" (justice) in Sinhala is derived from the Sanskrit root "yukti", which means "skill, cleverness, or reason." | |||
| Tamil | நீதி | ||
| Originally meant 'straightness', 'truth' or 'correctness'. | |||
| Telugu | న్యాయం | ||
| The word "న్యాయం" is derived from the Sanskrit word "nyaya" meaning "reason" or "right". It has a wide range of meanings, including justice, fairness, morality, and ethical conduct. | |||
| Urdu | انصاف | ||
| The word "انصاف" can also mean "fairness" or "equity" in Urdu. | |||
Justice in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 正义 | ||
| While the etymology of 正义 (‘zhèngyì’) reveals its close correlation to ‘correct’ (‘zheng’) and ‘meaning’ (‘yi’), it can also mean ‘public justice’ and ‘law enforcement in practice’. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 正義 | ||
| 正義 can also mean "righteousness" or "public morality". | |||
| Japanese | 正義 | ||
| 正義 (seigi) originally meant "correct political views" in Chinese, but in Japanese it has come to mean "justice" or "righteousness." | |||
| Korean | 정의 | ||
| The Korean word '정의' can also refer to a 'definition' or a 'reason' for something. | |||
| Mongolian | шударга ёс | ||
| The Mongolian word “шударга ёс” literally means “straight road”, with “шударга” meaning “straight” and “ёс” meaning “road” or “path”. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရားမျှတမှု | ||
Justice in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | keadilan | ||
| "Keadilan" has an alternative meaning of "straightness", derived from the Proto-Austronesian word *kaliy, meaning "level ground or water". | |||
| Javanese | keadilan | ||
| In Javanese, "keadilan" also refers to a state or condition of being just or fair, rather than solely an outcome or verdict. | |||
| Khmer | យុត្តិធម៌ | ||
| The word "យុត្តិធម៌" also means "equity" and "fairness" and is derived from the Sanskrit word "yudhistira". | |||
| Lao | ຄວາມຍຸດຕິ ທຳ | ||
| The Laotian word “khoumphayouthi tharm” is also an archaic term for “law” and a synonym of “dhamma,” meaning “truth, morality and order.” | |||
| Malay | keadilan | ||
| The Malay word "keadilan" (justice) originates from the Arabic word "qādah" (rule) and can also refer to "law", "fairness", or "equity". | |||
| Thai | ความยุติธรรม | ||
| The Thai word "ความยุติธรรม" derives from Sanskrit "dharma", meaning both "justice" and "law". | |||
| Vietnamese | sự công bằng | ||
| The word "Sự công bằng" in Vietnamese can also mean "fairness" or "equity". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hustisya | ||
Justice in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | ədalət | ||
| The word "ədalət" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Arabic word "عدل" (adl), which means "justice" or "fairness". | |||
| Kazakh | әділеттілік | ||
| Kyrgyz | адилеттүүлүк | ||
| The word "адилеттүүлүк" in Kyrgyz comes from the Persian word "عدالت" (adl), meaning "justice, equity, impartiality"} | |||
| Tajik | адолат | ||
| The word "адолат" in Tajik also refers to "fairness" and "equality". | |||
| Turkmen | adalat | ||
| Uzbek | adolat | ||
| The word "adolat" can also refer to "equality" or "right". | |||
| Uyghur | ئادالەت | ||
Justice in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaulike | ||
| “Kaulike” is also the foundation of the Hawaiian judicial system and of the Hawaiian creation myth. | |||
| Maori | tika | ||
| The Maori word "tika" refers to the concept of rightness, including both justice and correct behavior. | |||
| Samoan | faamasinoga tonu | ||
| The word "faamasinoga tonu" in Samoan is a compound word meaning "the doing of justice," and is derived from the words "fa'a" (to do), "masino" (justice), and "tonu" (rightly, correctly). | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | hustisya | ||
| "Hustisya" is cognate with "hustizia" in Spanish and "iustitia" in Latin. | |||
Justice in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | justisya | ||
| Guarani | tekojoja | ||
Justice in International Languages
| Esperanto | justeco | ||
| The word "justeco" in Esperanto is derived from the French word "justice" and can also be used to mean "fairness" or "equity". | |||
| Latin | iustitia | ||
| Iustitia in Latin also refers to the administration of justice by a legal authority. | |||
Justice in Others Languages
| Greek | δικαιοσύνη | ||
| The term 'δικαιοσύνη' also has the alternate meaning 'righteousness' in Modern Greek. | |||
| Hmong | kev ncaj ncees | ||
| The word "kev ncaj ncees" also means "straight and upright" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | mafî | ||
| The Kurdish word for justice, 'mafî,' also has connotations of law and peace. | |||
| Turkish | adalet | ||
| "Adalet" is a word of Arabic origin that also means "testimony" or "proof" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | ubulungisa | ||
| "Ubulungisa" may also mean fairness, righteousness, or law and order. | |||
| Yiddish | יושר | ||
| The Yiddish word "יושר" (justice) is derived from the Hebrew word "יושר" (straightness), and also means "honesty" or "integrity". | |||
| Zulu | ubulungiswa | ||
| The word 'ubulungiswa' is derived from the verb 'ukulunga', meaning 'to make right or just'. | |||
| Assamese | ন্যায় | ||
| Aymara | justisya | ||
| Bhojpuri | न्याय | ||
| Dhivehi | އިންސާފު | ||
| Dogri | न्यांऽ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hustisya | ||
| Guarani | tekojoja | ||
| Ilocano | hustisia | ||
| Krio | du wetin rayt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | دادپەروەری | ||
| Maithili | न्याय | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯆꯨꯝꯕ ꯋꯥꯌꯦꯜ | ||
| Mizo | rorelna tha | ||
| Oromo | haqa | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ନ୍ୟାୟ | ||
| Quechua | kuskachay | ||
| Sanskrit | न्याय | ||
| Tatar | гаделлек | ||
| Tigrinya | ፍትሒ | ||
| Tsonga | vululami | ||