ตำรวจ
dtam-rùuat/tam˧.rua̯t̚˨˩/
The Thai word for police is ตำรวจ (dtam-rùuat). Wiktionary also lists โปลิศ (bpoo-lít).
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Ways to say it
| Thai | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ตำรวจ | dtam-rùuat | /tam˧.rua̯t̚˨˩/ | |
| โปลิศ | bpoo-lít | /poː˧.lit̚˦˥/ | obsolete |
ตำรวจ refers to the police as a general law enforcement agency or the profession itself. It is also the standard term used when referring to a single police officer in a general sense.
Which one should you use?
ตำรวจ is the standard term, while โปลิศ is an obsolete form. For a more formal way to refer to a police officer or law enforcement official, you can use เจ้าหน้าที่ตำรวจ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word ตำรวจ is used for both singular and plural forms of police.
How do you pronounce it?
dtam-rùuat
Did you know?
- In Thai culture, police officers are often colloquially referred to as พี่ตำรวจ meaning 'older sibling police' to show a friendly or respectful rapport.
- The word ตำรวจ is actually a loanword from Khmer that originally meant 'to inspect' or 'to examine'.
- Thai and Lao share a closely related term for police, with the Lao word ຕຳຫຼວດ acting as a cognate to ตำรวจ.
Examples in context
- โทรหาตำรวจ!Call the police!This sentence is useful for practicing an urgent command to call the police using ตำรวจ.Tatoeba #7878487 by pastelite, translation #1718 by CK
- แค่โทรหาตำรวจJust call the police.This sentence is useful for expressing the action of calling the police using ตำรวจ.Tatoeba #10519300 by Somsak, translation #3410933 by CK
- ผมเชื่อใจตำรวจI trust the police.This sentence is useful for expressing trust in the police using ตำรวจ.Tatoeba #10660406 by Somsak, translation #8827009 by CK
- ผมเห็นตำรวจเดินผ่านทางนี้I saw the police walking by this way.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Teerapat and Nicha are walking in a public park.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatณิชา ดูนั่นสิ มีตำรวจเดินมาด้วยNicha, du nan si, mi tam-ruat doen ma duaiNicha, look, there are police walking by too.
- ณิชา Nichaเขาคงกำลังมาตรวจตราความเรียบร้อยค่ะkhao khong kam-lang ma truat tra khwam riap-roi khaThey are probably patrolling to keep things orderly.
- ธีรภัทร Theeraphatดีจังที่มีตำรวจคอยดูแลที่นี่di chang thi mi tam-ruat khoi du-lae thi-niIt is good that there are police looking after this place.
- ณิชา Nichaใช่ค่ะ จะได้รู้สึกปลอดภัยchai kha, cha dai ru-suek plot-phaiYes, it makes one feel safe.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries ตำรวจ, โปลิศ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ตำรวจ, โปลิศ, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
