policija
Latin, feminine
The English word 'police' is translated into Croatian as policija. Wiktionary also lists milicija.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Ways to say it
| Croatian | Note |
|---|---|
| policija | Latin, feminine |
| milicija | Latin, feminine |
The term refers to a local or general law enforcement agency. If you wish to refer to an individual officer rather than the agency itself, use the masculine noun policajac.
Which one should you use?
policija is the standard term for the modern police. In contrast, milicija refers to a militia or is used when speaking in a historical context regarding communist-era police forces.
How does it change in a sentence?
policija is a feminine noun. The genitive singular form, used to mean 'of the police', is policije.
Did you know?
- While policija is the official term, Croatians often use the slang word plavci, which means 'blue ones', to refer to officers because of their blue uniforms.
- The term milicija carries a strong political connotation of the former Yugoslav state, making it sound oppressive rather than just historical to many locals.
- In Croatia, the emergency number to reach the policija is 192, which is different from the pan-European emergency number 112.
Examples in context
- Izvolite, trebam pomoć policije.Excuse me, I need help from the police.
- Kako mogu kontaktirati državnu policiju?How can I contact the state police?
- Dobro je da nema murje ovdje.It's good that there are no cops around here.
- Gdje je najbliža policija?Where is the nearest police station?
- Policija je došla brzo.The police arrived quickly.
Example conversation
Ivana and Marko are walking on the street and see a car accident.
- IvanaPogledaj, bila je nesreća!Look, there was an accident!
- MarkoJe li policija već ovdje?Is the police already here?
- IvanaNe vidim nikoga.I don't see anyone.
- MarkoZovi policiju odmah.Call the police immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
