politsei
/ˈpolitsei̯/
The Estonian word for 'police' is politsei.
politsei refers to a local or general law enforcement agency.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Which one should you use?
While politsei is the standard term, you may encounter Korrakaitseorganid to refer specifically to 'law enforcement agencies' in official contexts. For a very informal way to refer to police officers, you can use Kutsarid, which translates to 'cops'.
How does it change in a sentence?
politsei functions as a collective noun and serves as both the nominative singular and the partitive singular. When expressing movement toward the police or contacting them, such as when saying you are calling them, use the illative case form politseisse.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpolitsei̯/
Did you know?
- The informal term for police officers kutsarid literally translates to 'hatters'. This stems from the distinctive headgear worn by officers in the past.
- In Estonian, the term korrakaitseorganid literally means 'order-protection organs'. It is used in formal settings to encompass all agencies that maintain public order.
- The word politsei is a direct linguistic relative of the German word Polizei, reflecting historical Germanic influences on Estonian official terminology.
Examples in context
- Politsei ei lasknud Tomil Maryga rääkida.The police didn't let Tom talk to Mary.This sentence shows how to use politsei in a negative sentence.Tatoeba #11327364 by twentyplus, translation #10033642 by CK
- Ma arvan, et me peaks politseisse helistama.I think we should call the police.This sentence demonstrates using the form politseisse when discussing calling the police.Tatoeba #2709582 by Maasikas, translation #2408457 by CK
- Ma helistasin politseisse.I called the police.This sentence shows the use of the form politseisse when stating that one called the police.Tatoeba #11280169 by twentyplus, translation #3732712 by CK
- Helistan politseisse, sest mul on vaja abi.I'm calling the police because I need help.
- Kriminaalpolitsei uurib juhtumit põhjalikult.The criminal police are investigating the case thoroughly.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Toomas and Kristiina are walking and see a car accident.
- ToomasVaata, seal on juba politsei.Look, the police are already there.
- KristiinaKas nad kutsisid abi kiiresti?Did they call for help quickly?
- ToomasJah, politsei tuli väga kiiresti kohale.Yes, the police arrived very quickly.
- KristiinaSee on hea, et nad on siir.It is good that they are here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries politsei, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries politsei, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
