Lawsuit in Different Languages
Discover 'Lawsuit' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
A lawsuit is a significant aspect of many legal systems around the world. It refers to a formal legal action brought by one party against another, seeking compensation or resolution for a wrong or injury. Lawsuits can be civil or criminal, and they play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law and protecting individual rights.
The concept of a lawsuit has been around for thousands of years, with early legal codes such as the Code of Hammurabi providing for the resolution of disputes through legal proceedings. In modern times, lawsuits have become a common way for individuals and businesses to seek justice and compensation for a wide range of grievances.
Understanding the term 'lawsuit' in different languages can be useful for global citizens and legal professionals alike. For example, in Spanish, a lawsuit is known as 'demanda,' while in French, it is called 'poursuite judiciaire.' In German, the term is 'Klage,' and in Mandarin Chinese, it is '訴訟 (sùsòng).'
In the following list, you'll find the translations of the word 'lawsuit' in 10 different languages. Whether you're a legal professional, a language enthusiast, or simply curious, this list is sure to provide some interesting insights into the cultural importance of lawsuits around the world.
Lawsuit
Lawsuit in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | regsgeding | ||
| The Afrikaans word "regsgeding" comes from the Dutch word "rechtsgeding", which literally means "legal action". | |||
| Amharic | ክስ | ||
| In some contexts, ክስ can also refer to a dispute or quarrel. | |||
| Hausa | kara | ||
| The word "kara" in Hausa derives from the Arabic word "qara'a", meaning "to read", suggesting a connection between legal documents and literacy. | |||
| Igbo | ikpe | ||
| In Igbo, "ikpe" also means "judgment," "case," or "dispute." | |||
| Malagasy | fitoriana | ||
| The word "fitoriana" has roots in the Malay word "tuntut," meaning "to claim" or "to demand." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | mlandu | ||
| The word "mlandu" in Nyanja can also mean "case" or "matter". | |||
| Shona | mhosva | ||
| Mhosva also means 'blame' or 'guilt', and has a connotation of wrongdoings in most of its senses. | |||
| Somali | dacwad | ||
| The Somali word 'dacwad' originates from the Arabic word 'da'wa', which has a broader meaning, including 'claim', 'suit', and 'complaint' | |||
| Sesotho | nyeoe | ||
| In some dialects, "nyeoe" also means "complaint". | |||
| Swahili | mashtaka | ||
| The Swahili word "mashtaka" can also refer to a complaint or grievance. | |||
| Xhosa | ityala | ||
| The word 'ityala' can also refer to a 'sin' or 'wrongdoing' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | ejo | ||
| 'Èjò' (Yoruba for 'lawsuit') can also refer to 'problem' or 'dispute'. | |||
| Zulu | icala | ||
| This word appears to be cognate with a Swahili word and may originally mean 'to bring justice'. | |||
| Bambara | kiritigɛlaw ka kiritigɛ | ||
| Ewe | nyadɔdrɔ̃ le ʋɔnu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | urubanza | ||
| Lingala | kosamba na tribinale | ||
| Luganda | omusango | ||
| Sepedi | molato wa molato | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mmara mu asɛm | ||
Lawsuit in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | دعوى قضائية | ||
| The original meaning of "دعوى قضائية" was "claiming". Now it implies "lawsuit". | |||
| Hebrew | תביעה משפטית | ||
| תְּבִיעָה can have the extended connotation of a claim or request. | |||
| Pashto | دعوی | ||
| The Arabic word "دعوی" can also mean "pretend", "claim", or "allege". | |||
| Arabic | دعوى قضائية | ||
| The original meaning of "دعوى قضائية" was "claiming". Now it implies "lawsuit". | |||
Lawsuit in Western European Languages
| Albanian | proces gjyqesor | ||
| 'Proces gjyqesor' is a compound of 'proces', from Latin, meaning 'to proceed', and 'gjyqes' meaning 'trial' in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | auzia | ||
| The word "auzia" in Basque, originally meaning "thing," came to be associated with "lawsuit" due to the importance of land disputes in Basque society. | |||
| Catalan | plet | ||
| The word "plet" in Catalan derives from the Latin "placitum," meaning "judgment" or "opinion." | |||
| Croatian | tužba | ||
| The noun "tužba" derives from the verb "tužiti" (to sue), which in turn derives from the Proto-Slavic "*tužiti" (to complain, to grieve). | |||
| Danish | retssag | ||
| Retssag is a cognate of 'rechtssache', the German for "legal matter". | |||
| Dutch | rechtszaak | ||
| The word "rechtszaak" in Dutch literally means "matter of the right", connecting the concepts of law and justice. | |||
| English | lawsuit | ||
| The word "lawsuit" derives from the Middle English word "lawesute," which referred to a formal complaint or action before a court. | |||
| French | procès | ||
| The word "procès" derives from the Latin "processus," meaning "advancement" or "progress," and originally referred to the progression of a legal case. | |||
| Frisian | rjochtssaak | ||
| The word “rjochtssaak” is used when legal proceedings are being discussed. | |||
| Galician | preito | ||
| In Galician, "preito" can mean both "lawsuit" and "negotiation", depending on the context. | |||
| German | klage | ||
| The word "Klage" in German can also refer to a lament or complaint, and is related to the English word "clavichord." | |||
| Icelandic | málsókn | ||
| The word 'málsókn' derives from Old Norse and literally means 'speech-seeking'. | |||
| Irish | lawsuit | ||
| Italian | causa | ||
| In law, a causa is a cause of litigation. | |||
| Luxembourgish | prozess | ||
| In Luxembourgish, "Prozess" can also refer to civil or criminal proceedings. | |||
| Maltese | kawża | ||
| The word "kawża" in Maltese comes from the Arabic word "qawḍiyya", meaning "legal proceedings". | |||
| Norwegian | rettssak | ||
| The word "rettssak" is derived from the Old Norse words "rétt" (law) and "sök" (suit), and can also refer to a legal case or lawsuit. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | processo | ||
| The word "processo" can also mean "procedure" or "method" in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil). | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cùis-lagha | ||
| Cùis-lagha literally means 'cause of law' and can also refer to a law suit. | |||
| Spanish | demanda judicial | ||
| The Spanish word "demanda judicial" literally translates to "judicial demand", highlighting the legal nature of a lawsuit. | |||
| Swedish | rättegång | ||
| The word "rättegång" is a compound noun consisting of "rätt" (justice) and "gång" (course, progress). | |||
| Welsh | achos cyfreithiol | ||
| The word "achos cyfreithiol" derives from the Old Welsh "achos" meaning "cause" or "dispute". | |||
Lawsuit in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | пазоў | ||
| The word «пазоў» ultimately derives from the Proto-Slavic root «*pazъ», meaning «fetter», so the original meaning of «пазоў» is «legal claim». | |||
| Bosnian | tužba | ||
| The word "tužba" in Bosnian is derived from the Old Slavic word "tuga" meaning "sorrow" or "grief", and is related to the word "tužan" meaning "sad" or "sorrowful". | |||
| Bulgarian | съдебен процес | ||
| The Bulgarian word "съдебен процес" comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "съдъ", meaning "court" or "trial". | |||
| Czech | soudní spor | ||
| The word "spor" also means "argument" but in the context of court cases it is understood to mean "disagreement" | |||
| Estonian | kohtuasi | ||
| Kohtuasi is also used to refer to a lawsuit's proceedings or the court case itself. | |||
| Finnish | oikeusjuttu | ||
| "Oikeusjuttu" is derived from the words "oikeus" (law) and "juttu" (matter), indicating a legal dispute requiring resolution. | |||
| Hungarian | per | ||
| Per is also the name of a small village in the Vas county of Hungary and the name of a river in Transylvania. | |||
| Latvian | tiesas prāvu | ||
| In Latvian, "tiesas prāvu" not only means "lawsuit" but also "court proceedings." | |||
| Lithuanian | ieškinį | ||
| The word "ieškinį" comes from the Old Prussian word "aiskēts" or "aiskan" meaning "claim". | |||
| Macedonian | тужба | ||
| The term "тужба" is a derivative of the Old Church Slavonic word "тъжа", meaning "complaint" or "accusation". | |||
| Polish | pozew sądowy | ||
| The Polish word 'pozew sądowy', meaning 'lawsuit', derives from the verb 'pozywać' (to summon, to cite). | |||
| Romanian | proces | ||
| The word "proces" comes from Latin "processus", meaning "progress or advancement" or even "sequence"} | |||
| Russian | иск | ||
| The Russian word "иск" also has the meaning of "action" and comes from the Old Slavonic word "искъ", which meant "claim". | |||
| Serbian | тужба | ||
| The word тужба is derived from the verb тужити (tužiti), which means "to complain" or "to accuse". | |||
| Slovak | súdny spor | ||
| The word "súdny spor" has no known etymology, but it is related to the word "súd" which means "court" and "spor" which means "dispute". | |||
| Slovenian | tožba | ||
| In the past, "tožba" also meant "accusation", as in the sentence "to mu je težka tožba" (translated as "this is a difficult accusation for him"). | |||
| Ukrainian | позов | ||
| "Позов" (pronounced "poh-ziv") is derived from the Old Slavonic word "*pozovati", meaning "to call, summon". | |||
Lawsuit in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | মামলা | ||
| The word 'মামলা' can also refer to a general dispute or controversy. | |||
| Gujarati | દાવો | ||
| The Gujarati word "દાવો" (lawsuit) also means "claim", "demand", or "assertion of a right". | |||
| Hindi | मुकदमा | ||
| The word "मुकदमा" is derived from the Persian word "مُقَدَّمه" (muqaddama), meaning "preface" or "introduction", and later came to mean "lawsuit" in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೊಕದ್ದಮೆ | ||
| The Kannada word "ಮೊಕದ್ದಮೆ" derives from the Urdu word "muqaddama", which also means "litigation" or "lawsuit". | |||
| Malayalam | കേസ് | ||
| In Malayalam, "കേസ്" ("kēś") also signifies a dispute, an instance, or a matter under consideration in a legal context. | |||
| Marathi | खटला | ||
| In Persian, खटला means “case of justice”. | |||
| Nepali | मुद्दा | ||
| मुद्दा also means 'question' or 'issue' and is derived from the Sanskrit word 'mudra' meaning 'stamp' or 'seal'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਮੁਕੱਦਮੇ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නඩු | ||
| The word "නඩු" in Sinhala can also mean "a dispute" or "a quarrel". | |||
| Tamil | வழக்கு | ||
| "வழக்கு" can also mean method, procedure, usage, style or account in Tamil. | |||
| Telugu | దావా | ||
| "దావా" can also refer to a claim or a dispute. | |||
| Urdu | مقدمہ | ||
| The Urdu word "مقدمہ" can also refer to an introduction or preface, or a prologue to a book. | |||
Lawsuit in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 诉讼 | ||
| “诉讼”一词最早出现在西周时期，本意指诉苦，后引申为司法诉讼。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 訴訟 | ||
| 訴訟（sùsòng）, meaning “lawsuit” in modern Chinese, originally meant “to inform or plead to a higher authority.” | |||
| Japanese | 訴訟 | ||
| "訴訟" is written as "そしょう" in hiragana and is also sometimes used in the context of "prosecution," "law case or lawsuit," or "litigation." | |||
| Korean | 소송 | ||
| "소송" has the same root as the word "소장" (letter), meaning "to write a letter to accuse someone" in Korean. | |||
| Mongolian | шүүх | ||
| The word "шүүх" (lawsuit) in Mongolian also means "court" or "to sue". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရားစွဲဆိုမှု | ||
Lawsuit in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | gugatan | ||
| The word 'gugatan' is derived from the Malay word for 'appeal' and is related to the Sanskrit word for 'complaint' and the Filipino word for 'petition'. | |||
| Javanese | tuntutan ukum | ||
| In Javanese, the word "tuntutan ukum" literally translates to "prosecution's demand" or "prosecutor's plea". | |||
| Khmer | បណ្តឹង | ||
| The word "បណ្តឹង" comes from the Sanskrit word "पत्र" (patra), meaning "leaf" or "letter". This is because lawsuits were originally written on leaves or paper. | |||
| Lao | ການຟ້ອງຮ້ອງ | ||
| Malay | tuntutan mahkamah | ||
| "Mahkamah" refers to a court or tribunal while "tuntutan" means to demand, request or prosecute. | |||
| Thai | คดี | ||
| คดี' (kɔɔdîi) comes from Pali 'kata' meaning 'affair' or 'matter' and is cognate to Sanskrit 'krida' meaning 'play,' 'action,' or 'deed'. | |||
| Vietnamese | kiện cáo | ||
| "Kiện cáo" means both "lawsuit" and "to complain" in Vietnamese and shares the same etymology as "to slander". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaso | ||
Lawsuit in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | məhkəmə | ||
| "Məhkəmə" (lawsuit) is cognate with Persian "mahkeme" (court) and the Old Turkic word "maγq" (trial)" | |||
| Kazakh | сот ісі | ||
| The word "сот ісі" is derived from the Turkic word "сот" meaning "court" and the Persian word "ісі" meaning "case". It can also refer to a legal dispute or a trial. | |||
| Kyrgyz | сот иши | ||
| The word "сот иши" in Kyrgyz literally translates to "work of the court". | |||
| Tajik | даъво | ||
| The word "даъво" in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "دعاوی" (davā), which means "claim" or "dispute". It can also refer to a "petition" or "prayer". | |||
| Turkmen | kazyýet işi | ||
| Uzbek | sud jarayoni | ||
| The Uzbek word "sud jarayoni" comes from the Arabic word "sharia", meaning "law" or "jurisprudence." | |||
| Uyghur | دەۋا | ||
Lawsuit in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoopii | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hoopii" originally referred to a gathering of people to discuss an issue and find a resolution. | |||
| Maori | hāmene | ||
| The Maori word "hāmene" is also used in the context of marriage or partnership. | |||
| Samoan | tagi | ||
| Tagi in Samoan can also refer to a challenge, summons, or accusation. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | demanda | ||
| The Tagalog word "demanda" is derived from the Spanish word "demanda" which means "claim or demand". | |||
Lawsuit in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | demanda ukax mä juk’a pachanakanwa | ||
| Guarani | demanda rehegua | ||
Lawsuit in International Languages
| Esperanto | proceso | ||
| The Esperanto word "proceso" is also used in Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan with the same meaning. | |||
| Latin | iudicium | ||
| The Latin word "iudicium" also means "judgment" or "opinion", depending on the context. | |||
Lawsuit in Others Languages
| Greek | αγωγή | ||
| The word "αγωγή" also means "education" or "upbringing" in Greek, and shares the same root with the word "ἄγω" (to lead). | |||
| Hmong | foob | ||
| The word 'foob' also means 'to accuse one another' in the Hmong language. | |||
| Kurdish | doz | ||
| The word 'doz' in Kurdish also refers to a 'lawsuit', and it is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*dʰeh₁-' ('to put, place'). | |||
| Turkish | dava | ||
| In addition to meaning "lawsuit," "dava" can also mean "cause, issue," or "dispute." | |||
| Xhosa | ityala | ||
| The word 'ityala' can also refer to a 'sin' or 'wrongdoing' in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | פּראָצעס | ||
| The word "פּראָצעס" is likely derived from the Old French word "procès", which itself comes from the Latin word "processus", meaning "progress" or "movement." | |||
| Zulu | icala | ||
| This word appears to be cognate with a Swahili word and may originally mean 'to bring justice'. | |||
| Assamese | গোচৰ | ||
| Aymara | demanda ukax mä juk’a pachanakanwa | ||
| Bhojpuri | मुकदमा के मुकदमा भइल | ||
| Dhivehi | ދައުވާ އެވެ | ||
| Dogri | मुकदमा दा मुकदमा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | kaso | ||
| Guarani | demanda rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | darum | ||
| Krio | kes we dɛn kɛr go na kɔt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | داوای یاسایی | ||
| Maithili | मुकदमा | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯋꯥꯀꯠꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thubuai siamsak a ni | ||
| Oromo | himannaa himata | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ମକଦ୍ଦମା | ||
| Quechua | demanda nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | मुकदमा | ||
| Tatar | суд | ||
| Tigrinya | ክሲ ክሲ | ||
| Tsonga | nandzu wa nandzu | ||