cảnh sát
[kajŋ̟˧˩ saːt̚˧˦]
In Vietnamese, the phrase for police is cảnh sát. Wiktionary also lists công an.
Meaning: local or general law enforcement agency (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| cảnh sát | [kajŋ̟˧˩ saːt̚˧˦] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kɛɲ˧˨ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥] (Huế, narrow) |
| công an | [kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːn˧˧] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːŋ˧˧] (Huế, narrow) |
The term refers to a local or general law enforcement agency.
Which one should you use?
công an is used more colloquially. In certain rural areas, you may encounter the specific term Công An Xã to refer to local police authorities.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
cảnh sát is the formal term for the police. In casual, everyday conversation, people often use the colloquial form công an.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term Công An Xã is used to identify local police authorities in some rural areas.
Did you know?
- The formal term cảnh sát is actually a loanword from Japanese, adapted into the Sino-Vietnamese-style pronunciation.
- The term công an refers to a broader system of internal security and intelligence, whereas cảnh sát refers specifically to the uniformed police force.
- The term công an translates literally to 'public safety', emphasizing the protection of the community rather than just law enforcement.
Examples in context
- Công an đang ở đó.The police are there.This sentence shows how to state that the công an are present.Tatoeba #8996687 by dotheduyet1999, translation #3408772 by CK
- Hãy gọi cho cảnh sátCall the police!This sentence is a way to urge someone to call the cảnh sát.Tatoeba #12556827 by thanhcona40, translation #1718 by CK
- Gọi cho cảnh sát đi.Phone the police.This sentence demonstrates how to tell someone to phone the cảnh sát.Tatoeba #13340175 by leucammieuvu, translation #9331792 by Amastan
- Tôi cần gọi cảnh sát!I need to call the police!
- Xin hãy gọi công an đến đây!Please call the police here!
- Anh ta đã bị CSGT dừng xe vì tốc độ quá nhanh.He was stopped by the police for overspeeding.
- Buổi sáng, CSGT thường kiểm tra xe và cấp giấy phép lái xe.In the morning, traffic police often check vehicles and issue driving licenses.
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hùng and Chi are walking in the park and see an officer.
- HùngChi ơi, nhìn kìa, có cảnh sát kìa!Chi, look, there is a police officer!
- ChiAnh Hùng, họ đang làm gì vậy?Hùng, what are they doing?
- HùngCó lẽ họ đang giữ trật tự.Maybe they are maintaining order.
- ChiĐúng vậy, họ trông rất chuyên nghiệp.That's right, they look very professional.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police” translations and entries cảnh sát, công an, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries công, công an, cảnh, cảnh sát, sát, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
