正せい当とう

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Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

Used for actions, claims, rights, or procedures that are morally or legally justified, fair, or in accordance with accepted standards.

Related words· 7

正義 refers to abstract justice or righteousness as a moral ideal, while 正当 describes whether a specific action or claim is justifiable or legitimate.

合法 means legal in a strict law-abiding sense, whereas 正当 can include moral or social justification beyond mere legality.

妥当 stresses that something is reasonable or fitting for the situation, while 正当 stresses that it is rightfully justified or legitimate.

適正 describes something as properly suited or at an appropriate level (e.g. price, size), while 正当 focuses on moral or legal justification.

Show 3 more

正せい規きN1
正当 focuses on being justified or rightful in a moral/legal sense, whereas 正規 focuses on following a set procedure or standard.
正ただしいN4
正当 is used for legal or logical justification (a legitimate claim or reason), whereas 正しい is the everyday word for something being right.
立りっ派ぱN4
正当 is the standard formal word for legitimate or justified, while 立派 only carries that sense in specific contexts and usually means splendid or admirable.

Opposites

不当 means unjust or unfair, the direct opposite of 正当 which means just or legitimate.

正当 means 'legitimate' or 'proper,' the opposite of 非道's sense of being unjust and inhuman.

正当 means legitimate or justified, contrasting with the wrongdoing or illegality implied by 不正.

Don't confuse with

正統 (same reading as 正当) means orthodox or legitimate in lineage/tradition, while 正当 means justifiable or fair in a given act or claim.

政党 (political party) and 正当 (justified, legitimate) are pronounced identically but have completely unrelated meanings.

正道 means the morally correct path in life, whereas 正当 means legitimate or justified, describing an act or claim rather than a way of living.