警察
keisatsu[ke̞ːsa̠t͡sɨ]
The English word "police" is translated into Japanese as 警察 (keisatsu).
警察 (keisatsu) refers to the police force as an institution or the general law enforcement agency. To refer to a police vehicle, the abbreviation パトカー (patokaa) is commonly used and 交番 (koban) is the specific term for a small neighborhood police box.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 警察 refers to the organization or institution, 警察官 is the term for an individual officer. Additionally, 交番 should be used when specifically discussing a neighborhood police box rather than the general police force.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Tokyo metropolitan area, the term 警視庁 (keishicho) is used to refer specifically to the Metropolitan Police Department.
How do you pronounce it?
keisatsu
Did you know?
- The term お巡りさん (omawari-san) literally translates to 'Mr. Rounding-around', referencing the way officers used to patrol the streets.
- In Japan, the 警察 has the authority to conduct 'shitsumon' or voluntary questioning, which can sometimes feel like a formal interrogation despite being legally voluntary.
- The term 警察 (keisatsu) is composed of two kanji: 警 meaning 'to warn' or 'to guard' and 察 meaning 'to observe' or 'to examine'.
Examples in context
- 警察を呼んで！Call the police!This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 警察 in an emergency command.Tatoeba #5120 by bunbuku, translation #1718 by CK
- 警察を呼ぶ気？Are you going to call the police?This sentence shows how to use 警察 when asking about someone's intentions.Tatoeba #8749904 by bunbuku, translation #4013697 by CK
- 警察はどこですか。Where is the police station?This sentence demonstrates how to use 警察 when asking for the location of a police station.Tatoeba #176215 by bunbuku, translation #238250 by CK
- 私たちは警察の協力を得て、事件を解決しました。We solved the case with the help of the police.
- おまわりさん、助けてください！Officer, please help!
- 233 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are walking home after seeing a suspicious person.
- 美咲 Misaki警察が来たよ。Keisatsu ga kita yo.The police came.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ、警察官が走っている。Hontou da, keisatsukan ga hashitte iru.You're right, the police officer is running.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太君、何かあったのかな？Yota-kun, nani ka atta no kana?Yota, I wonder if something happened?
- 陽太 Yota多分、事件だよ。Tabun, jiken da yo.It's probably an incident.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries 警察, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
