Japanese symbol for “legal”
法的
ほうてき
Romaji: houteki
legal
In Japanese, legal is 法的, read ほうてき (houteki).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-na legal
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “legal”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 合法 | ごうほう gouhou | legal; lawful; legitimate |
| 正式 | せいしき seishiki | formal; official; regular |
| 正規 | せいき seiki | regular; normal; formal |
| 正当 | せいとう seitou | just; justifiable; right |
| 法定 | ほうてい houtei | legal; designated by law |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 法律 | ほうりつ houritsu | law; legislation; act |
| 法人 | ほうじん houjin | corporation; corporate body; company |
| 憲法 | けんぽう kenpou | constitution |
| 司法 | しほう shihou | administration of justice; judicature |
| 違法 | いほう ihou | illegal; illicit; unlawful |
| 目的 | もくてき mokuteki | purpose; goal; aim |
| 知的 | ちてき chiteki | intellectual |
See also: Chinese symbol for “legal”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.