ผิดกฎหมาย

Explanation

ผิดกฎหมาย is made from ผิด “wrong; against” and กฎหมาย “law,” so its core idea is “against the law.” It commonly follows a noun, as in ธุรกิจผิดกฎหมาย “illegal business” or สินค้าผิดกฎหมาย “illegal goods.” It can also be used as a predicate, as in จอดรถตรงนี้ผิดกฎหมาย “Parking here is illegal.” The word is neutral and works in both everyday speech and news or official contexts.

Usage

This word is common in topics involving the law, such as news reports, police or court matters, government procedures, visas, employment, traffic rules, drugs, gambling, and counterfeit goods. In everyday conversation, ผิดกฎหมายไหม is a natural way to ask whether something is illegal.

Caution

Use ผิดกฎหมาย only when a law is involved. For a simple mistake, use ผิด; for something bad or inappropriate, use ไม่ดี; and for breaking school, workplace, or organizational rules, ผิดกฎ or ผิดระเบียบ is usually more accurate.

1 illegal synonyms

• ผิดกฎ

  phìt kòt break a rule

  ผิดกฎ means “against the rules,” such as school, workplace, or game rules. ผิดกฎหมาย specifically means “against the law.”

• ผิดระเบียบ

  ผิดระเบียบ means “against regulations” or “not in line with procedures,” often inside an organization. ผิดกฎหมาย is stronger and refers to something legally prohibited.

• ไม่ถูกกฎหมาย

  ไม่ถูกกฎหมาย also means “not legal.” ผิดกฎหมาย is a more direct way to say that something violates the law.