叫警察
jiào jǐngchá
To call the police in Chinese, you can use 叫警察 (jiào jǐngchá) or 报警. Wiktionary also lists 報警 / 报警 (bàojǐng).
Meaning: call the police (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 叫警察 | jiào jǐngchá |
| 報警 / 报警 | bàojǐng |
The phrase 叫警察 is used to mean 'call the police'. The term 报警 is the standard term used when one is officially reporting an emergency or a crime, such as via a phone call or at a police station.
What does it mean word for word?
In the phrase 叫警察, the character 叫 means 'to call' or 'to summon'. In the phrase 报警, the character 警 refers to the 'police' or a 'warning/alarm'.
Which one should you use?
叫警察 is a more colloquial expression that literally means 'call/summon the police', whereas 报警 is the formal way to say one is reporting something to the police.
How do you pronounce it?
jiào jǐngchá
When do people say it?
In mainland China, the emergency hotline to reach the police is 110.
Did you know?
- If someone screams 叫警察 in a public place, it is often used as a social deterrent to stop a fight rather than an immediate request for a phone call.
- While 报警 means 'to report to the police', it is also used to describe a fire alarm or a security system going off, as 警 means both 'police' and 'warning'.
- The word 警察 is a compound of 警 meaning 'warning' and 察 meaning 'examine' or 'inspect'.
Examples in context
- 你想要我叫警察吗？Do you want me to call the police?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants you to use the form 叫警察.Tatoeba #8831925 by crescat, translation #1992153 by Spamster
- 叫警察！Call the police!This sentence is useful for using the form 叫警察 as an imperative.Tatoeba #1205903 by cienias, translation #1718 by CK
- 我們應該叫警察來。We should call the police.This sentence is useful for suggesting that one should use the form 叫警察.Tatoeba #796042 by Martha, translation #632491 by CK
- 请帮我打电话报警Please help me call the police.
- 我需要拨打110I need to dial 110.
- 快点报警Call the police quickly.
- 有人在偷窃，快叫警察Someone is stealing, call the police quickly.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen witness a car accident on the street.
- 伟 Wei快看！那边出车祸了。Kuài kàn! Nàbiān chū chēhuò le.Look! There's been a car accident over there.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen太糟糕了，我们要叫警察吗？Tài zāogāo le, wǒmen yào jiào jǐngchá ma?That's terrible, should we call the police?
- 伟 Wei是的，快叫警察来处理。Shì de, kuài jiào jǐngchá lái chǔlǐ.Yes, call the police quickly to handle it.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好的，我现在就打电话。Hǎo de, wǒ xiànzài jiù dǎ diànhuà.Okay, I'll make the call right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “call the police” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
