# What Languages Differentiate Between Right (Legal) and Right (Location) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 28, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523 "2014-02-28T17:02:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/1 "2014-02-28T17:02:16Z")
In local government offices, there are posters in English and Spanish. The Spanish ones often mention “derechos” in the context of “rights,” meaning legal rights. I know from my loose grasp of Spanish that “derecho” also means “right” in the context of the right-hand side of something. Similarly, the anti-piracy warning I see on many DVDs has a warning in French, with words to the effect of “Les droits d’autueres” (the rights of aritists), again referring to legal rights. I also know enough French to know that “droit” also means “right” in the context of the right-hand side. Which languages don’t use both meanings of the word? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/2 "2014-02-28T17:42:02Z")
Well, I suppose guugu yimithirr since it doesn’t use relative directions at all. There are a lot of languages, though. I’m not sure anyone could really tell you all the languages that don’t use the same word for the two meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/3 "2014-02-28T17:45:15Z")
German has _rechts_ (right, as opposed to _links_, left) and _richtig_ (correct). ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/4 "2014-02-28T18:08:16Z")
Totally different in Hebrew: “yemin” is the direction, “zechut” is the privilege. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/5 "2014-02-28T18:08:30Z")
[Japanese has distinct words](http://translate.google.com/?hl=en#en/ja/right%20side%0D%0Aleft%20side%0D%0Afront%20side%0D%0Aback%20side%0D%0Ayou%20are%20right) for “right” (spatial), “right” (legal/moral), and “right” (correct): right side == Migigawa (“migi” is the prefix for “right”; “gawa” means “side”; compare the other “-gawa” words in that translation page) right (legal/moral) == “kenri” (or “ken” suffix or prefix, in context) right (correct) == “tadashī” Still, it **is** odd that in so many languages, the three loosely connected concepts have essentially the same words. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/6 "2014-02-28T18:13:55Z")
> [@Stealth\_Potato](#): > > German has _rechts_ (right, as opposed to _links_, left) and _richtig_ (correct). Oops, just realized I wasn’t quite answering the question; for some reason I got off track and was thinking of “right” as in “correct” – and indeed, in German _Recht_ refers to a legal right. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![zwede](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ac91a4/32.png) [@zwede](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zwede)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/7 "2014-02-28T19:09:15Z")
Swedish: “Höger” (direction) “Rätt” (legal) ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/8 "2014-02-28T19:41:14Z")
It’s interesting that this takes place in both Romance and Germanic languages, even though the word stems aren’t necessarily the same. I wonder what the influence was from. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/9 "2014-02-28T20:00:03Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > It’s interesting that this takes place in both Romance and Germanic languages, even though the word stems aren’t necessarily the same. I wonder what the influence was from. Also in Slavic languages. In Czech: vpravo - to the right pravý - right-hand; _also_ right, correct, legitimate, genuine, real, just, good, true pravda - truth opravdu - really, truly, genuinely, actually právní - law, legal právo - justice právník - lawyer ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/10 "2014-02-28T20:15:37Z")
Welsh _de_ “right” (direction; also means “south”) _hawl_ legal right ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/11 "2014-02-28T21:28:23Z")
> [@zwede](#): > > Swedish: > > “Höger” (direction) > “Rätt” (legal) Same (or close to) in the other Scandinavian languages. Höger, høyre, høire, høgre, comes from old Norse and is related to a word meaning comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/12 "2014-02-28T21:34:11Z")
A large majority of people in every culture have always been right-handed, so it is very common for the right (handedness) to reflect the word for “correct”, including social behavior that is correct, indicating what people have a “right” to do in conformity with custom. Spatial Right would have always arisen in the vocabulary somewhat later than Correctness, which would have been one of the first grunts… ---
**Author:** ![Batistuta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Batistuta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batistuta)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/13 "2014-02-28T22:03:57Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > It’s interesting that this takes place in both Romance and Germanic languages, even though the word stems aren’t necessarily the same. I wonder what the influence was from. The same happens in… uh… whatever language family Basque belongs to 😉 Both forms of ‘right’ have the same root (“esku”, if I’m not mistaken). Interesting indeed ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/14 "2014-02-28T23:17:31Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > Welsh _de_ “right” (direction; also means “south”) That must be confusing for Welsh people who are not facing east. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/15 "2014-02-28T23:32:04Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > That must be confusing for Welsh people who are not facing east. It’s especially confusing for southpaws. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/16 "2014-03-01T00:26:44Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > The same happens in… uh… whatever language family Basque belongs to 😉 Both forms of ‘right’ have the same root (“esku”, if I’m not mistaken). Interesting indeed Also in Finnish. Oikea has both meanings. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/17 "2014-03-01T00:31:29Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > That must be confusing for Welsh people who are not facing east. In Irish, the word for “south” corresponds to “right”, while “west” corresponds to “behind”. Which, if arbitrary, is at least consistent. “Deis” means right, and is related to the word for “nice”. The word for a moral or legal right, or correctness, is “ceart”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/18 "2014-03-01T00:57:38Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > In local government offices, there are posters in English and Spanish. The Spanish ones often mention “derechos” in the context of “rights,” meaning legal rights. I know from my loose grasp of Spanish that “derecho” also means “right” in the context of the right-hand side of something. Not quite. It’s one of the things GPSs tend to get wrong and which take a while to get used to, since very often not only do they mix two different words but use them in completely the wrong way. Derecho means “right” (noun), as you say. Human rights, _los derechos humanos_. Derecho/a means “straight” (adjective: keep on straight, _siga todo derecho_; stand up straight, _ponte derecha_). Derecha is the right side. Go to the right: _ve hacia la derecha_. It’s damn confusing when you’re driving, there is a T-intersection with the road going forward and an exit right, and the GPS says _siga por la derecha_ (continue on the right): it’s not how it would be said in either case (at least in Spain) and until you train yourself on what exactly does your GPS mean, you need to look at the map. Is it saying “go on straight” or “take the exit on the right”? Look at the map… which is what having the voice on is supposed to avoid! (FTR, google maps currently means “go on straight”) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/19 "2014-03-01T00:59:22Z")
Here’s another word with multiple usages in English, but not necessarily so in other languages: _free_ In English, it means (a) without cost, as in a free meal. (b) devoid of something else, as in “sugar free” soft drinks; note, in this unusual form, the adjective follows the noun. © unconstrained, as in “free speech” Note that only the third usage is closely related to the word “freedom”. Spanish has (at least) two distinctly different words, or maybe three: – cost-free is “gratis” – devoid of something else would be “sin” I think, as in “sin azucar” (without sugar) (Is this right?) – unconstrained is “libre” ETA: Can someone comment on how these words and meanings play in French or other languages? ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523/20 "2014-03-01T01:04:19Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > – devoid of something else would be “sin” I think, as in “sin azucar” (without sugar) (Is this right?) Yep. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-languages-differentiate-between-right-legal-and-right-location/682523.md?page=2)