پُولِس
pūlismasculine
The word for police in Urdu is پُولِس (pūlis). Wiktionary also lists پُولِیس (pūlīs) and شُرْطَہ (śurta).
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| پُولِس | pūlis | masculine |
| پُولِیس | pūlīs | masculine |
| شُرْطَہ | śurta | masculine |
| پاسْبان | pāsbān | masculine |
The term is used to refer to a local or general law enforcement agency.
Which one should you use?
The loanword پُولِس (pūlis) is the most common way to refer to the police force in everyday Urdu. In contrast, پاسْبان (pāsbān) specifically refers to a guard or someone performing a watchman-like duty.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word پُولِس is a masculine noun and takes masculine verb agreements and adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
pūlis
Did you know?
- The word پاسْبان (pāsbān) is frequently used in Urdu poetry to describe someone who protects one's heart or honor.
- The word پاسْبان (pāsbān) comes from the Persian root پاس (pās) meaning 'watch' and بان (bān) meaning 'keeper'.
- The word شُرْطَہ (shurta) is the formal Arabic term for police and is rarely used in conversation, but it appears in official legal documents and high-level news broadcasts in Urdu.
Examples in context
- آپ نے پولیس کو آگاہ کیا ہے؟Have you informed the police?
- پُولِس یہاں آ رہی ہے۔police yahan aa rahi hai.The police are coming here.
- پُولِس نے چور کو پکڑ لیا۔police ne chor ko pakar liya.The police caught the thief.
- پُولِس کا اسٹیشن کہاں ہے؟police ka station kahan hai?Where is the police station?
Example conversation
Ali and Sarah are walking in the city when they see a patrol car.
- علی Aliدیکھو، وہاں پُولِس کھڑی ہے۔dekho, wahan police khari hai.Look, the police are standing there.
- سارہ Saraکیا وہ کسی کو روک رہے ہیں؟kya woh kisi ko rok rahe hain?Are they stopping someone?
- علی Aliہاں، سارہ، وہ ٹریفک چیک کر رہے ہیں۔haan, Sarah, woh traffic check kar rahe hain.Yes, Sarah, they are checking traffic.
- سارہ Saraاچھا، ہمیں جلدی نکلنا چاہیے۔acha, hamein jaldi nikalna chahiye.Okay, we should leave quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
