polîs
The English word 'police' is translated into Kurdish as polîs. Wiktionary also lists پۆلیس (polîs).
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Ways to say it
| Kurdish | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| polîs | |
| پۆلیس | polîs |
polîs refers to a local or general law enforcement agency.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Polîs is the term widely used in the Kurmancî dialect, which is spoken in parts of Turkey, Syria and Iran.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to a specific police officer rather than the agency as a whole, you can use the singular form پۆلیسەکە by adding the suffix -ەکە to polîs.
Did you know?
- The Kurdish alphabet used for پۆلیس in Soranî is based on the Arabic script, while in Kurmancî it is written in the Latin alphabet as polîs.
- The term polîs is a loanword that has filtered into Kurdish through French police and Turkish polis, reflecting the colonial and political history of the region.
- While polîs is the standard term, in some regions you may hear paswan, a word shared with Persian that specifically refers to a guard or sentry.
Examples in context
- من دەڕۆم بۆ لای پۆلیس.I'm going to the police.This sentence is useful for expressing movement toward the police using پۆلیس.Tatoeba #9830253 by Sarchia, translation #1839530 by CK
- متمانەم بە پۆلیس نییە.I don't trust the police.This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of trust in the police using پۆلیس.Tatoeba #10368462 by Sarchia, translation #2276242 by CK
- قسە لەگەڵ پۆلیسەکە دەکەن.They are talking with the police officer.This sentence is useful for describing an interaction with a specific officer using پۆلیسەکە.Tatoeba #10862721 by Sarchia, translation #5974623 by diegohn
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Soran and Layla are walking and see a police car.
- Soranبڕیار بدە، ئایا پێویستە پەیوەندی بە polîs بکەین؟Decide, do we need to contact the police?
- Laylaنەخێر، polîs لێرە نزیکە.No, the police are near here.
- Soranباشە، با بچین بۆ لای polîs.Okay, let's go to the police.
- Laylaبەڵێ، ئەمە باشترین ڕێگەیە.Yes, this is the best way.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries polîs, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
