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法定 (ほうてい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Meanings 1
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
legal ; statutory ; designated by law
Used in compounds and noun-modifying positions to mean something is established, required, or defined by law. Often appears in terms like 法定速度 (legal speed limit) or 法定相続人 (legal heir).
相そう
続ぞく
人にん
と
し
て
財ざい
産さん
を
相そう
続ぞく
し
た
。
I inherited the property as a legal heir.
Kanji 定 determine, fix, establish Similar words 合ごう 法ほう 合法 means 'legal' in the sense of 'not illegal' or 'lawful', while 法定 means 'established by law' or 'statutory', focusing on what the law prescribes rather than mere permissibility.
法ほう 律りつ 上じょう 法律上 is a broader adverbial phrase meaning 'legally' or 'under the law', whereas 法定 is more specific to things directly designated or mandated by statute.
Etymology Compound of 法 (law) and 定 (determine, establish). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in legal contexts to mean 'established by law' since at least the Meiji period.
