Legitimate in Different Languages
Discover 'Legitimate' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'legitimate' carries significant weight in various cultural and linguistic contexts. Denoting something as 'legitimate' gives it credibility, authenticity, and legality. This concept is vital in law, government, business, and social relationships. Moreover, understanding the concept of legitimacy in different languages can enrich cross-cultural communication and foster mutual respect.
Historically, the concept of legitimacy has been crucial in determining the rightful rulers of countries and the validity of legal documents. In many cultures, the translation of 'legitimate' reflects the importance placed on lineage, social order, and truth.
For instance, in Spanish, 'legitimate' translates to 'lícito' or 'legítimo', while in French, it becomes 'légitime'. In German, the word is 'legitim' and in Russian, it is 'законный' (zakonnyj). These translations highlight the global significance of legitimacy and the universality of the concept.
Discover more about the translations of 'legitimate' in various languages and cultures in the list below.
Legitimate
Legitimate in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wettig | ||
| In Afrikaans "wettig" also means "legal" or "lawful", not just "legitimate". | |||
| Amharic | ሕጋዊ | ||
| The word "ሕጋዊ" in Amharic is derived from the root "ሕግ" meaning "law", and can also mean "lawful" or "legal". | |||
| Hausa | halal | ||
| In Hausa, halal is also used to mean "correct" or "appropriate". | |||
| Igbo | ziri ezi | ||
| The Igbo word 'ziri ezi' has alternative meanings including 'lawful, rightful, and just'. | |||
| Malagasy | ara-dalàna | ||
| "Ara-dalàna" can also mean "that which is true" or "that which is just". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zovomerezeka | ||
| Shona | zviri pamutemo | ||
| The word 'zviri pamutemo' (legitimate) derives from the root 'temo' (law), and thus originally referred to something in accordance with the law. | |||
| Somali | sharci ah | ||
| The word "sharci ah" is derived from the Arabic word "shari'ah," which refers to Islamic law. | |||
| Sesotho | molaong | ||
| "Molaong" is a homograph, which also means "to be suitable" or "to be permissible" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | halali | ||
| Halali also means "an expression of triumph or relief". | |||
| Xhosa | esemthethweni | ||
| The word "esemthethweni" also means "appropriate" or "correct" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yoruba | abẹ | ||
| "Abẹ" in Yoruba can also refer to a type of divination or the name of a Yoruba deity. | |||
| Zulu | esemthethweni | ||
| This word is derived from the term "iseme", meaning "law". As such, it implies that something is in accordance with the law. | |||
| Bambara | sariya siratigɛ la | ||
| Ewe | si le se nu | ||
| Kinyarwanda | byemewe | ||
| Lingala | oyo ezali na ntina | ||
| Luganda | mu mateeka | ||
| Sepedi | e lego molaong | ||
| Twi (Akan) | nea ɛfata | ||
Legitimate in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شرعي | ||
| The Arabic word "شرعي" (شرعي) can also refer to "Islamic law" or "religious". | |||
| Hebrew | לֵגִיטִימִי | ||
| The Hebrew word "לֵגִיטִימִי" (legitimate) derives from the Latin word "legitimus", meaning "lawful" or "in accordance with the law". It can also refer to something that is "genuine" or "authentic". | |||
| Pashto | قانوني | ||
| The word "قانوني" in Pashto holds the additional meaning of "approved by the government" and originates from the Arabic word "قانون" (law). | |||
| Arabic | شرعي | ||
| The Arabic word "شرعي" (شرعي) can also refer to "Islamic law" or "religious". | |||
Legitimate in Western European Languages
| Albanian | legjitime | ||
| The word "legjitime" also means "legal", "lawful", and "rightful" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | zilegi | ||
| The word "zilegi" derives from the Basque "zilegi" meaning "lawful, just" and is related to the Latin "legitim-" meaning "legitimate, lawful, rightful". | |||
| Catalan | legítim | ||
| In Catalan, the word "legítim" can also mean "lawful" or "rightful." | |||
| Croatian | legitiman | ||
| "Legitiman" derives from the Latin "legitimus", meaning "lawful" or "according to law." | |||
| Danish | legitim | ||
| The word "legitim" in Danish also means "leg" or "shin". | |||
| Dutch | rechtmatig | ||
| The term "rechtmatig" derives from the Dutch word "recht," meaning "right" or "law" | |||
| English | legitimate | ||
| The word "legitimate" derives from the Latin word "legitimus," meaning "in accordance with the law" and also "born in wedlock." | |||
| French | légitime | ||
| In French, the word "légitime" can also mean "natural" or "authorized," whereas in English, "legitimate" only means "legal" or "valid." | |||
| Frisian | legitime | ||
| In the Saterland Frisian dialect, "legitime" also means "legal, lawful". | |||
| Galician | lexítimo | ||
| In Galician, "lexítimo" is not to be confused with "lexitimo," which means "lawful." | |||
| German | legitim | ||
| Legitim in German not only means "legitimate" but can also mean "certified" like a "certified copy" (legitimierte Abschrift). | |||
| Icelandic | lögmætur | ||
| The word "lögmætur" in Icelandic ultimately derives from the Old Norse word "lǫgmáðr", meaning "lawful" or "prescribed by law." | |||
| Irish | dlisteanach | ||
| Italian | legittimo | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "legitimate," "legittimo" can also mean "legal," "lawful," "rightful," or "authentic." | |||
| Luxembourgish | legitim | ||
| The word "legitim" in Luxembourgish refers to a document certifying the authenticity of a signature, not to its legality. | |||
| Maltese | leġittimu | ||
| The word "leġittimu" is derived from the Latin word "legitimus", meaning "in accordance with the law". | |||
| Norwegian | lovlig | ||
| The word "lovlig" in Norwegian can also mean "legal" or "permissible." | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | legítimo | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "legítimo" can also mean authentic, true, or valid. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | dligheach | ||
| In Scots Gaelic, the word "dligheach" can also mean "lawful" or "rightful." | |||
| Spanish | legítimo | ||
| "Legítimo" can also mean "natural" or "genuine" in Spanish. | |||
| Swedish | legitim | ||
| The Swedish word "legitim" is derived from the Latin word "legitimus" and means "legitimate, rightful." | |||
| Welsh | cyfreithlon | ||
| The Welsh word 'cyfreithlon' derives from the Proto-Celtic root *kʷrit-, meaning 'right', and also relates to the English word 'right'. | |||
Legitimate in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | законным | ||
| The Belarusian word "законным" can also mean "legal" or "lawful". | |||
| Bosnian | legitimno | ||
| The word "legitimno" originated from the Latin language and is also used in Italian and Spanish. | |||
| Bulgarian | легитимен | ||
| The Bulgarian word "легитимен" is derived from the Latin word "legitimus", meaning "lawfully established". It can also mean "acceptable" or "justified". | |||
| Czech | legitimní | ||
| The Czech word "legitimní" also means "genuine", "authentic" or "legal". | |||
| Estonian | õigustatud | ||
| "Õigustatud" comes from the word "õigus" meaning "right", and can also mean "justified" or "entitled to." | |||
| Finnish | laillinen | ||
| The term originates from the Latin word | |||
| Hungarian | jogos | ||
| "Jogos" is derived from the same root as "jog" (right), and originally meant "lawful, legitimate" as well as "direct, straight". | |||
| Latvian | likumīgs | ||
| The word "likumīgs" in Latvian is derived from the Latin word "lex" meaning "law" and originally referred to something that was in accordance with the law. | |||
| Lithuanian | teisėtas | ||
| Lithuanian "teisėtas" derives from "teisingas" meaning 'correct', 'rightful' and is related to "teisybė" ('truth'). | |||
| Macedonian | легитимен | ||
| The word "легитимен" in Macedonian also has the meaning of "authentic". | |||
| Polish | prawowity | ||
| In old Polish, the word "prawowity" was originally used to describe something that was "according to the law", but it has since come to mean "legitimate" in a more general sense. | |||
| Romanian | legitim | ||
| The Romanian word "legitim" means "legitimate", but also has alternate meanings of "legal" or "lawful". | |||
| Russian | законный | ||
| In Russian, the word "законный" ("legitimate") has multiple meanings, including "based on or in accordance with the law" and "having the right to inheritance or a position by law." | |||
| Serbian | легитиман | ||
| The Serbian word “легитиман” (“legitimate”) originates from the French word “légitime”, which also means “rightful” or “valid”. | |||
| Slovak | legitímne | ||
| The word "legitímne" is derived from the Latin word "legitimus," and also means "legal" or "authorized." | |||
| Slovenian | legitimno | ||
| In Slovenian, 'legitimno' also means 'legal' or 'lawful'. | |||
| Ukrainian | законним | ||
| The word "законним" in Ukrainian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "zakonъ", meaning "law" or "custom". | |||
Legitimate in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | বৈধ | ||
| The word 'বৈধ' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'विधि' meaning 'law' or 'rule'. | |||
| Gujarati | કાયદેસર | ||
| The term can also refer to a child born out of wedlock and recognized by its father, often in the context of inheritance and property rights. | |||
| Hindi | वैध | ||
| The word 'वैध' ('legitimate') derives from the Sanskrit root 'वध' ('to kill'), denoting the act of 'killing' or 'destroying' the claims or arguments of an opponent in a debate or dispute. | |||
| Kannada | ಕಾನೂನುಬದ್ಧ | ||
| "ಕಾನೂನುಬದ್ಧ" refers to something that is in accordance with the law or the rules. | |||
| Malayalam | നിയമാനുസൃതം | ||
| The word "നിയമാനുസൃതം" literally means "according to the ruler" or "in accordance with the law" | |||
| Marathi | कायदेशीर | ||
| The Marathi word 'कायदेशीर' comes from the Sanskrit word 'कानून' (law) and means 'accordance with the law'. | |||
| Nepali | वैध | ||
| In Sanskrit, 'वैध' means 'medically sound or valid', and is cognate with its Nepali counterpart, but also has the additional meanings of 'skilled', 'learned', 'sound' or 'valid'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਾਇਜ਼ | ||
| 'ਜਾਇਜ਼' is derived from the Arabic word meaning 'law' and can also refer to 'true' or 'correct' | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | නීත්යානුකූලයි | ||
| Tamil | முறையானது | ||
| Telugu | చట్టబద్ధమైనది | ||
| The word originates from Latin legitimus and means 'according to law' | |||
| Urdu | جائز | ||
| The root word "جز" in "جائز" means "to pass", implying something that is permissible or allowed. | |||
Legitimate in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 合法 | ||
| 合法 (合法) also can mean “the legal system of a country.” | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 合法 | ||
| 合法 translates as "legitimate" in English, but it can also mean "lawful" or "legal". | |||
| Japanese | 正当な | ||
| The word "正当な" is often associated with legality, but also can refer to what is fair and right in various contexts. | |||
| Korean | 본격적인 | ||
| 본격적인 comes from the Chinese word 本格 (běngé), meaning "essential" or "genuine". It can also mean "formal" or "authentic". | |||
| Mongolian | хууль ёсны | ||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | တရားဉပဒေအတိုင်းဖြစ်သော | ||
| The word is derived from Pali and Sanskrit word "dhamma", and also means "truth" or "righteousness". | |||
Legitimate in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sah | ||
| In Javanese, 'sah' also means 'correct' and 'valid'. | |||
| Javanese | sah | ||
| "Sah" can also mean "true" or "correct" in Javanese, as it is cognate with the Malay word "sah" which carries these meanings. | |||
| Khmer | ស្របច្បាប់ | ||
| Lao | ຖືກຕ້ອງຕາມກົດ ໝາຍ | ||
| Malay | sah | ||
| "Sah" is also a term used in the Malay game Mak Yong to refer to the protagonist's journey through the jungle. | |||
| Thai | ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย | ||
| "Legitimate" comes from Latin "legitimus" meaning "according to the law", related to "lex" ("law") and "legere" ("to read"). | |||
| Vietnamese | hợp pháp | ||
| "Hợp pháp" also means "reasonable" or "fair". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lehitimo | ||
Legitimate in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | qanuni | ||
| The word "qanuni" can also refer to a type of stringed instrument similar to the lute in Azerbaijani. | |||
| Kazakh | заңды | ||
| The Kazakh word "заңды" is derived from the Arabic word "قانون" (qanun), which means "law" or "rule." | |||
| Kyrgyz | мыйзамдуу | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "мыйзамдуу" is derived from the Arabic word "mi'zam", meaning "scale" or "balance". | |||
| Tajik | қонунӣ | ||
| The Tajik word 'қонунӣ' comes from the Arabic word 'القانوني', meaning 'of or related to the law'. It can also refer to something that is 'lawful', 'right', or 'valid'. | |||
| Turkmen | kanuny | ||
| Uzbek | qonuniy | ||
| In Uzbek, "qonuniy" also refers to traditional Uzbek music with set rhythmic patterns and melodic forms. | |||
| Uyghur | قانۇنلۇق | ||
Legitimate in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kūpono | ||
| The word kūpono has a dual meaning in Hawaiian, referring to both | |||
| Maori | whaimana | ||
| In Maori, the word "whaimana" also carries the meaning of "rightly ordered" or "in accordance with tradition or custom." | |||
| Samoan | faʻatulafonoina | ||
| The word faʻatulafonoina comes from the root word faʻatulafo, "lawful" or "proper," and the suffix -ina which means "to make something"} | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | lehitimo | ||
| "Lehitimo" in Tagalog is derived from the Spanish word "legítimo," and can also mean "legal" or "authentic." | |||
Legitimate in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | legítimo ukaxa | ||
| Guarani | legítimo rehegua | ||
Legitimate in International Languages
| Esperanto | legitima | ||
| In Esperanto, "legitima" also means "according to law" or "lawful." | |||
| Latin | legitimate | ||
| The Latin word "legitimus" also means "born in wedlock" and is related to the word "lex" (law). | |||
Legitimate in Others Languages
| Greek | νόμιμος | ||
| The word νόμιμος (legitimate) is derived from the Greek word νόμος (law), and can also mean 'lawful' or 'valid'. | |||
| Hmong | tsim nyog | ||
| The word "tsim nyog" in Hmong comes from the Chinese word "zhengyao," which means "must" or "necessary." | |||
| Kurdish | qanûnî | ||
| The Kurdish word "qanûnî" is derived from the Arabic word "qānūn", meaning both "divine law" and "law or regulation. | |||
| Turkish | meşru | ||
| The word "meşru" can also refer to something that is "legal" or "lawful" in Turkish. | |||
| Xhosa | esemthethweni | ||
| The word "esemthethweni" also means "appropriate" or "correct" in Xhosa. | |||
| Yiddish | לאַדזשיטאַמאַט | ||
| The word 'לאַדזשיטאַמאַט' ('legitimate') derives from Latin and initially referred to the validity of laws. | |||
| Zulu | esemthethweni | ||
| This word is derived from the term "iseme", meaning "law". As such, it implies that something is in accordance with the law. | |||
| Assamese | বৈধ | ||
| Aymara | legítimo ukaxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | जायज बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝަރުޢީ ގޮތުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जायज ऐ | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | lehitimo | ||
| Guarani | legítimo rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | lehitimo | ||
| Krio | we rayt | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | شەرعییە | ||
| Maithili | वैध | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯂꯦꯖꯤꯁ꯭ꯂꯦꯇꯤꯕ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | dik tak a ni | ||
| Oromo | seera qabeessa ta’uu isaati | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଆଇନଗତ | | ||
| Quechua | legítimo nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | वैधः | ||
| Tatar | легитим | ||
| Tigrinya | ሕጋዊ እዩ። | ||
| Tsonga | leswi nga enawini | ||