Law in Different Languages
Discover 'Law' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Law
Afrikaans wetgewing | ||
Albanian ligji | ||
Amharic ሕግ | ||
Arabic القانون | ||
Armenian օրենք | ||
Assamese আইন | ||
Aymara kamachi | ||
Azerbaijani qanun | ||
Bambara sariya | ||
Basque legea | ||
Belarusian закон | ||
Bengali আইন | ||
Bhojpuri कानून | ||
Bosnian zakon | ||
Bulgarian закон | ||
Catalan llei | ||
Cebuano balaod | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 法 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 法 | ||
Corsican lege | ||
Croatian zakon | ||
Czech zákon | ||
Danish lov | ||
Dhivehi ޤާނޫނު | ||
Dogri कनून | ||
Dutch wet | ||
English law | ||
Esperanto juro | ||
Estonian seadus | ||
Ewe se | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) batas | ||
Finnish laki | ||
French loi | ||
Frisian wet | ||
Galician lei | ||
Georgian კანონი | ||
German recht | ||
Greek νόμος | ||
Guarani léi | ||
Gujarati કાયદો | ||
Haitian Creole lwa | ||
Hausa doka | ||
Hawaiian kānāwai | ||
Hebrew חוֹק | ||
Hindi कानून | ||
Hmong txoj cai lij choj | ||
Hungarian törvény | ||
Icelandic lögum | ||
Igbo iwu | ||
Ilocano linteg | ||
Indonesian hukum | ||
Irish dlí | ||
Italian legge | ||
Japanese 法律 | ||
Javanese ukum | ||
Kannada ಕಾನೂನು | ||
Kazakh заң | ||
Khmer ច្បាប់ | ||
Kinyarwanda amategeko | ||
Konkani कायदो | ||
Korean 법 | ||
Krio lɔ | ||
Kurdish qanûn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) یاسا | ||
Kyrgyz мыйзам | ||
Lao ກົດ ໝາຍ | ||
Latin iuris | ||
Latvian likumu | ||
Lingala mobeko | ||
Lithuanian įstatymas | ||
Luganda amateeka | ||
Luxembourgish gesetz | ||
Macedonian закон | ||
Maithili कानून | ||
Malagasy lalàna | ||
Malay undang-undang | ||
Malayalam നിയമം | ||
Maltese liġi | ||
Maori ture | ||
Marathi कायदा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯑꯏꯟ | ||
Mizo dan | ||
Mongolian хууль | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဥပဒေ | ||
Nepali कानुन | ||
Norwegian lov | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) lamulo | ||
Odia (Oriya) ନିୟମ | ||
Oromo seera | ||
Pashto قانون | ||
Persian قانون | ||
Polish prawo | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) lei | ||
Punjabi ਕਾਨੂੰਨ | ||
Quechua kamachiy | ||
Romanian lege | ||
Russian закон | ||
Samoan tulafono | ||
Sanskrit विधि | ||
Scots Gaelic lagh | ||
Sepedi molao | ||
Serbian закон | ||
Sesotho molao | ||
Shona mutemo | ||
Sindhi قانون | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) නීතිය | ||
Slovak zákon | ||
Slovenian pravo | ||
Somali sharciga | ||
Spanish ley | ||
Sundanese hukum | ||
Swahili sheria | ||
Swedish lag | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) batas | ||
Tajik қонун | ||
Tamil சட்டம் | ||
Tatar закон | ||
Telugu చట్టం | ||
Thai กฎหมาย | ||
Tigrinya ሕጊ | ||
Tsonga nawu | ||
Turkish yasa | ||
Turkmen kanun | ||
Twi (Akan) mmara | ||
Ukrainian закон | ||
Urdu قانون | ||
Uyghur قانۇن | ||
Uzbek qonun | ||
Vietnamese pháp luật | ||
Welsh deddf | ||
Xhosa umthetho | ||
Yiddish געזעץ | ||
Yoruba ofin | ||
Zulu umthetho |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | It is derived from the Dutch word "wet", meaning "knowledge" or "law". |
| Albanian | The word "ligji" in Albanian likely originates from the Latin "lex" or Greek "nomos," both of which translate to "law." |
| Amharic | "ሕግ" means law in Amharic, but can also refer to the "right to do something" or a "legal custom". |
| Arabic | القانون also means 'canon' in the sense of 'a body of religious law' and 'a decree' in the sense of 'religious law' |
| Armenian | The word "օրենք" originates from the Indo-European root *h₃reǵ-, meaning "to direct, to regulate". |
| Azerbaijani | The word "qanun" in Azerbaijani, besides meaning "law", also has a meaning of "regulation, order, rule". |
| Basque | The Basque word "legea" ("law") derives from the Latin word "lex" via Spanish, but it can also be a synonym for "religion". |
| Belarusian | The term 'закон' derives from the Proto-Slavic root '*konъ', meaning 'boundary', or 'end'. |
| Bengali | Bengali "আইন" ('law') comes from the Sanskrit word "ayin" meaning "order", "rule", or "command". |
| Bosnian | The word "zakon" in Bosnian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "zakonъ", which also means "custom" or "tradition." |
| Bulgarian | The Bulgarian word "закон" is derived from a Slavic root and has cognates in many other Slavic languages. |
| Catalan | Llei (Catalan for "law") likely derives from the Latin word "lex" (law), which also gave rise to similar words in many other languages. |
| Cebuano | In Waray, 'balaod' also means 'to be in a fix, to be stuck in a predicament'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 法 (fǎ) can also mean 'method', 'way', 'principle', or 'Dharma'. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 法 in Chinese (Traditional) can also mean 'methods' or 'ways'. |
| Corsican | The word "lege" also means "book" in Corsican, deriving from the Latin word "liber". |
| Croatian | The word 'zakon' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'zakonъ', which means 'ordinance' or 'decree'. |
| Czech | "Zákon" also means "spell" or "incantation" in Czech, derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*zákъ" meaning "command" or "order". |
| Danish | In addition to its main sense “law,” the noun lov (law) can also mean “appreciation, approval” in Danish, stemming from the Old Norse lǫf (praise). |
| Dutch | The Dutch word "wet" can also mean "damp" or "to soak", and derives from the Proto-Germanic root *watia-. |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "juro" is derived from the Latin "jus" and also means "right" or "justice". |
| Estonian | The word 'seadus' in Estonian derives from a Proto-Baltic noun meaning 'binding' or 'order'. |
| Finnish | The word "laki" in Finnish is thought to be derived from the Proto-Finnic word *laki, which meant "joint" or "hinge". |
| French | The French word "loi" originates from the Latin word "lex," meaning "law" or "statute." |
| Frisian | Frisian "wet" also refers to a dyke, a type of water management infrastructure. |
| Galician | The word "lei" in Galician also means "faith" and was originally a synonym for "religion". |
| Georgian | In Georgian, the term "კანონი" (Kanoni) means not only "law" but also refers to the ancient lyre or harp used in traditional music, showcasing the multifaceted nature of the word. |
| German | The word "Recht" in German is derived from the Old High German word "rihti," meaning "straight" or "correct," and also has connotations of "justice" and "order." |
| Greek | The Greek word 'νόμος' shares the same root as 'νεμώ' ('to distribute'), hence its additional meaning of 'custom' or 'convention'. |
| Gujarati | In Gujarati, the word "કાયદો" is derived from Sanskrit and is related to Sanskrit words meaning "act" or "procedure". |
| Haitian Creole | "Lawa" in Haitian Creole can also refer to a spiritual entity, similar to an "orisha" in the Yoruba religion. |
| Hausa | The term 'doka' (law) in Hausa may also refer to traditional customs and practices recognized in local communities and the wider society |
| Hawaiian | The word 'kānāwai' is derived from 'kā' (to establish) and 'nawai' (a cord or line), suggesting the idea of establishing order or boundaries. |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "חוֹק" (law) also means "decree" or "statute", and its root is related to words for "to carve" or "to inscribe". |
| Hindi | The Hindi word “कानून” originates from the Arabic word “qanun,” meaning “rule” or “principle”. |
| Hmong | The word "txoj cai lij choj" in Hmong also means something that is straight or just, or something that is correct or right. |
| Hungarian | "Törvény" comes from the same root as "tör" (break), indicating "a line drawn to prevent someone from exceeding a boundary" |
| Icelandic | The Icelandic word 'lögum' can also refer to 'the body of law' or 'a collection of laws' |
| Igbo | The Igbo word "iwu" can also refer to a custom, tradition, or taboo. |
| Indonesian | The term 'hukum' is also used in Islam, where its interpretation refers to 'divine law'. |
| Irish | The term 'Dlí' also has connotations of 'rule' and 'justice' in the Irish language. |
| Italian | "Legge" is derived from the Latin "legere" meaning "to read" and is also used to mean "reading" in Italian. |
| Japanese | 法律, the Japanese word for "law," stems from the Chinese legalist philosopher Han Feizi's term "法治," meaning rule of law. |
| Javanese | The term 'ukum' is also used to refer to religious teachings and the principles guiding a pious life. |
| Kannada | The word "ಕಾನೂನು" originates from the Sanskrit word "कानून" meaning "rule or regulation". |
| Kazakh | The word "заң" also means "religion" or "faith" in Kazakh. |
| Khmer | ច្បាប់ is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "jñapti, |
| Korean | 법 (beop) is also used as a verb, meaning "to prohibit". |
| Kurdish | The word "qanûn" in Kurdish can also refer to a code, standard, or regulation. |
| Kyrgyz | The term "мыйзам" traces its roots to the Old Turkic root "mīz-," meaning "to appoint or arrange." |
| Latin | In Latin, "iuris" originates from "ius" meaning both "law" and "right," suggesting a close connection between the two concepts. |
| Latvian | Likumu can also refer to a system of rules and regulations enforced by a social group or organization. |
| Lithuanian | In Lithuanian, the word "įstatymas" also means "a rule" and "an order." |
| Luxembourgish | In the German-speaking part of the country, the term "Gesetz" also refers to a set of rules or principles, such as the laws of nature or physics. |
| Macedonian | The word "закон" in Macedonian comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "закънъ", which meant "regulation" or "order". |
| Malagasy | Lalàna means "law," "justice" or "truth" and ultimately derives from Proto-Austronesian *lalan "way" or "road," related to Proto-Austronesian *laju "travel". |
| Malay | The Malay word "undang-undang" also refers to a specific type of traditional Malay textile, typically made from hand-woven cotton or silk. |
| Malayalam | The word "നിയമം" is also used to describe the system of rules or the process of law making. |
| Maltese | "Liġi" is likely derived from the Arabic "qanoun" meaning "norm, rule, law". |
| Maori | Derived from Proto-Polynesian *ture, meaning 'correct, proper, right, lawful', and related to Proto-Austronesian *tujuq, meaning 'to point, show, direct, aim'. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "कायदा" (kāyadā) originates from the Arabic term "قاعدة" (qā'ida), meaning "a standing rule" or "a general principle". |
| Mongolian | "Хууль" also means "rule" or "regulation" and is cognate with the Turkic word "hul" and "ulu". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The word "ဥပဒေ" is derived from Pali, the language of the ancient Buddhist scriptures, and means "that which holds or restrains". |
| Nepali | In ancient times, the word "कानुन" also meant "ear" or "listening" in Nepali. |
| Norwegian | The Norwegian word "lov" is etymologically related to the Old Norse word "lǫg" and the English word "law". It can also refer to a promise or an agreement. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | A synonym of lamulo is boma, though boma also means the traditional homestead. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "قانون" also refers to a type of traditional musical instrument similar to a lute. |
| Persian | The word 'قانون' can also refer to the ancient Persian string instrument known as the 'qanun'. |
| Polish | Prawo in Polish can also mean 'the right', such as in human rights. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word "lei" also means "auction" in the context of livestock or goods. |
| Romanian | The word "lege" in Romanian ultimately derives from the Slavic word for "right" and is related to words like "legal" and "legitimate" in English. |
| Russian | "Закон" also means "fate" in Russian, derived from the verb "заходить" (to go down). |
| Samoan | The word "tulafono" comes from the Proto-Samoan word "*tulafono,*" meaning "a prohibition, a taboo, a commandment." |
| Scots Gaelic | The word "lagh" in Scots Gaelic can also refer to a tax or tribute. |
| Serbian | The word "закон" derives from the Proto-Slavic "zakonъ", meaning "established rule or order". |
| Sesotho | The word 'molao' can also refer to a rule or regulation or an agreement between individuals. |
| Shona | In Shona, the word "mutemo" also has connotations of truth and fairness, emphasizing the role of law in upholding societal norms. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhala word "නීතිය" can also refer to "justice", "decree" or "sentence". |
| Slovak | The word 'zákon' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word '`zakonъ`', which also means 'custom' or 'decree' |
| Slovenian | The word 'pravo' also means 'rectangle' or 'square' in Slovenian. |
| Somali | The Somali word "sharciga" originates from the Arabic word "sharia," referring to Islamic law. |
| Spanish | In Galician place names and in Spain, "ley" can mean "hill" or "elevation". |
| Sundanese | The Sundanese word 'hukum' is rooted in the Arabic word 'hukm', meaning 'judgment'. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "sheria" derives from the Arabic "shari'ah," referring to Islamic religious law. |
| Swedish | 'Lag' also means 'team' in the context of sports or other activities. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "batas" also has pre-colonial roots meaning "boundary" or "measure". |
| Tajik | The word "қонун" in Tajik originates from the Arabic word "قانون" (qānūn), meaning "rule" or "canon", and has been used in the Persian language since at least the 14th century. |
| Tamil | The Tamil word 'சட்டம்' ('law'), derived from Sanskrit, initially denoted an 'action' and 'ritual' but gradually gained the meaning of 'law'. |
| Telugu | Derived from 'chaṭakaṃ', meaning 'firm, fixed', or 'rule, regulation'. |
| Thai | The word 'กฎหมาย' originally comes from the Sanskrit word 'vyavahāra', meaning 'usage', 'conduct', or 'rule'. |
| Turkish | Though the Turkish word "yasa" is usually translated as "law," it also carries the connotation of "decree" or "rule" |
| Ukrainian | "Закон" in Ukrainian can also mean "order" or "principle". |
| Urdu | The word قانون (qānūn) is derived from the Greek word "kanon," meaning "rule" or "standard" |
| Uzbek | In Persian, Arabic, and Urdu, "qonun" means "rule" or "principle," while in Turkish, it means "law" or "statute." |
| Vietnamese | The word "pháp luật" is derived from the Chinese word "法律", which means "law" or "regulation." |
| Welsh | The word "deddf" also refers to the "form" of a person or an animal and can describe "habit" or "nature". |
| Xhosa | The word 'umthetho' in Xhosa originates from the root word 'thetha,' which means 'to speak' or 'to discuss,' suggesting that laws are derived from conversations and agreements within the community. |
| Yiddish | "געזעץ" in Yiddish can also refer to a set of rules or principles governing behavior, or to a physical law or scientific regularity. |
| Yoruba | The word ofin has historical and etymological connections to "law", "ethics", "religion", "power", "jurisprudence", "legality", and "justice" in Yoruba thought. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "umthetho" has legal meanings as either a rule or law and has a colloquial meaning, often derogatory, implying an unnecessary and burdensome regulation or control. |
| English | The word "law" originates from the Old English word "lagu", which means "something laid down or fixed." |