警察官
keisatsukan[ke̞ːsa̠t͡sɨ̥kã̠ɴ]
The English phrase 'police officer' is translated into Japanese as 警察官 (keisatsukan). If unsure, use 警察官. Wiktionary also lists 警官 (keikan) and お巡り (omawari).
Meaning: peace officer who is a member of a police force (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 警察官 | keisatsukan | [ke̞ːsa̠t͡sɨ̥kã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| 警官 | keikan | [ke̞ːkã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
| お巡り | omawari |
The terms in this set refer to a member of a police force.
Which one should you use?
警察官 (keisatsukan) is the full, formal term, while 警官 (keikan) is a common abbreviation used for the same meaning.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
警察官 is the formal way to say 'police officer'. 警官 is a common, shorter form. お巡り (omawari) is a colloquial and friendly way to refer to an officer, often used by children or in casual conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
keisatsukan
When do people say it?
When addressing a police officer directly on the street, the standard polite way to call them is お巡りさん.
Did you know?
- The word 警察 consists of 警 meaning 'to warn' and 察 meaning 'to guess' or 'to examine', reflecting the dual role of prevention and investigation.
- The term 警察 was adopted during the Meiji era, borrowing the characters from Chinese to describe a modern police system inspired by French and German models.
- In Japanese pop culture and anime, police officers are often referred to as サツ (satsu), which is a clipped, slang version of 警察 similar to how English speakers use 'cop'.
Examples in context
- トムは警官だよ。Tom is a police officer.This sentence is useful for stating someone's profession using 警官.Tatoeba #8875313 by small_snow, translation #1934829 by Spamster
- 本当に警官なの？Are you really a police officer?This sentence is useful for asking someone if they are a police officer using 警官.Tatoeba #11897828 by small_snow, translation #11890892 by CK
- 彼は警官を見て逃げた。When he saw the police officer, he ran away.This sentence is useful for describing an action triggered by seeing a police officer using 警官.Tatoeba #107951 by bunbuku, translation #238159 by CH
- はい、警察官は駐在所にいますよ。Yes, the police officer is at the police box.
- オマワリさん、お願いがあるんですけど。Officer, I have a favor to ask.
- 14 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hina and Yota are walking home and see a police officer nearby.
- 陽葵 Himariあそこに警察官がいるよ。Asoko ni keisatsukan ga iru yo.There is a police officer over there.
- 陽太 Yota道に迷ったから、聞いてみよう。Michi ni mayotta kara, kiite miyou.I'm lost, so let's ask them.
- 陽葵 Himari警察官の人に聞けば安心だね。Keisatsukan no hito ni kikeba anshin da ne.It's reassuring to ask a police officer.
- 陽太 Yotaそうだね。行ってみよう。Sou da ne. Itte miyou.You're right. Let's go.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “police officer” translations and entries 警察官, 警官, お巡り, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
