合法

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 合法 is read as ごうほう and is a noun and na-adjective describing an act, transaction, or contract as legal or lawful.
• Basic usage: Whether a transaction is lawful appears in 取引が合法かどうか, while a judgment about a contract appears in 契約が合法だ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Compliance with law
  • It does not mean morally good or desirable; it states that something does not violate the applicable law.
• Difference from 違法
  • It is the opposite of the term for something that violates the law.