How to Say "Government" in Japanese

政府

seifu[se̞ːɸɯ̟]

The Japanese word for "government" is 政府, pronounced seifu.

政府 generally refers to the national or central government.

Meaning: body with the power to make and/or enforce laws (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of two parts: the first part, 政, refers to administration or politics.

seifu

While 政府 refers to the administration, the Japanese people often use 国 meaning 'country' to refer to the government in casual speech, such as when complaining about taxes.
The character 政 contains the radical for 'correct' or 'straight', implying that the fundamental purpose of government is to bring order and correctness to society.
The term 官邸 meaning 'official residence' is frequently used in media as a metonym for the government, similar to how 'the White House' is used in English.

政府もなすすべがないようだ。
It sounds as if the government doesn't know what to do.
This sentence shows how to describe a situation where the government seems unable to act using 政府.
Tatoeba #143063 by small_snow, translation #271505 by CK
トムは政府を信頼していない。
Tom doesn't trust the government.
This sentence illustrates expressing a lack of trust in the government using 政府.
Tatoeba #12593658 by bunbuku, translation #4375681 by Hybrid
政府は次のような声明を出した。
The government issued the following statement.
This sentence demonstrates the government issuing a statement using 政府.
Tatoeba #143089 by small_snow, translation #271479 by CK
43 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing news in a cafe.

結衣 Yui

政府は新しい政策を発表したんだって。
Seifu wa atarashii seisaku o happyō shita ndatte.
I heard the government announced a new policy.
陽太 Yota

政府が何をしようとしているのか気になるね。
Seifu ga nani o shiyō to shite iru no ka kininaru ne.
I wonder what the government is trying to do.
結衣 Yui

陽太君はどう思う？
Yōta-kun wa dō omou?
What do you think, Yota?
陽太 Yota

少し慎重になったほうがいいと思うよ。
Sukoshi shinchō ni natta hō ga ii to omou yo.
I think they should be a bit more cautious.

Sources

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