شُرْطِيّ
šurṭiyymasculine
The English phrase "police officer" is translated into Arabic as شُرْطِيّ (šurṭiyy). Wiktionary also lists شُرَطِيّ (šuraṭiyy) and شُرْطَةٍ (šurṭatin).
Meaning: peace officer who is a member of a police force (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| شُرْطِيّ | šurṭiyy | masculine |
| شُرَطِيّ | šuraṭiyy | masculine |
| شُرْطَةٍ | šurṭatin | feminine |
| ضَابِطُ شُرْطَةٍ | ḍābiṭu šurṭatin | masculine |
| ضَابِطَةُ شُرْطَةٍ | ḍābiṭatu šurṭatin | feminine |
| ضَبْطِيَّة | ḍabṭiyya | feminine |
The terms in this list describe members of a police force. While شُرْطِيّ is a general term for a policeman, ضَابِطُ شُرْطَةٍ is used specifically to refer to a police officer of a higher rank or within a more formal administrative context.
Which one should you use?
شُرْطِيّ refers to a policeman in a general sense, whereas ضَابِطُ شُرْطَةٍ is used for a specific rank or in a more formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form of the noun شُرْطِيّ is شُرْطِيَّة.
How do you pronounce it?
šurṭiyy
Did you know?
- The word شُرْطِيّ comes from the root ش-ر-ط, which originally meant 'a condition' or 'a stipulation'. This reflects the historical role of the police as those who enforce the conditions of a contract or the laws of the state.
- In some dialects, people avoid saying شُرْطِيّ directly to an officer's face and instead use polite titles like سِيادَتُك meaning 'your excellency' or يا فندم meaning 'sir'.
- While شُرْطِيّ is the standard term, some regional dialects use loanwords from French, such as جاندرم from 'gendarme', due to colonial history.
Examples in context
- صاحب المحل اتصل بضابط الشرطة.The shop owner called the police officer.
- رأيت شرطيًا يقوم بدوريته في الحي.I saw a police officer patrolling the neighborhood.
- الشرطي ساعدني عندما فقدت محفظتي.The police officer helped me when I lost my wallet.
Example conversation
Yousef and Layla are standing on a street corner.
- يوسف Youssefأين يمكننا إيجاد شُرْطِيّ؟Ayna yumkinunā ijādu shurtiyy?Where can we find a police officer?
- ليلى Laylaانظر يا يوسف، هناك واحد.Unzur yā Yūsuf, hunāka wāhid.Look Yousef, there is one.
- يوسف Youssefسأذهب لأسأله عن الطريق.Sa'adhhabu li'as'alahu 'an at-tarīq.I will go ask him about the way.
- ليلى Laylaفكرة جيدة، هيا بنا.Fikra jayyida, hayyā binā.Good idea, let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police officer” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
