How to say "unlawful" in Japanese

• 不法ふほうCommon
  na-adjective, nounCovers 'unlawful' as an act done contrary to the law, with a nuance of wrongfulness or lawlessness; typical in news reports and legal writing about unlawful conduct.
  皆みなが不法ふほう外国人がいこくじんに対たいして敵対的てきたいてきな態度たいどを取とった。↗

  Everybody took a hostile attitude toward illegal aliens.
• 違法いほうCommon
  na-adjective, no-adjectiveCovers 'unlawful' in its plain sense of 'against the law'; the general, neutral term for anything that violates the law, and the direct opposite of 'legal'.
  あそこに駐車ちゅうしゃするのは違法いほうです。↗

  It is illegal to park a car there.
• 非合法ひごうほうCommon
  na-adjective, no-adjectiveConveys 'unlawful' as 'not legal', stressing lack of legal sanction rather than violation of a particular law; typical in talk of organizations or activities that operate outside the law.
  奴隷どれい制度せいどが非合法ひごうほうとなってから１世紀せいき以上いじょうになる。↗

  It is over a century since slavery was made illegal.

Choose 違法 for the plain sense 'against the law'; 不法 adds a nuance of wrongfulness or lawlessness to unlawful conduct, while 非合法 presents something as simply outside the law, lacking legal sanction.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 不法ふほうunlawful
• 違法いほうillegal
• 非合法ひごうほうillegal