Cop in Different Languages
Discover 'Cop' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Cop
Afrikaans polisieman | ||
Albanian polic | ||
Amharic ፖሊስ | ||
Arabic شرطي | ||
Armenian ոստիկան | ||
Assamese পুলিচ | ||
Aymara policía | ||
Azerbaijani polis | ||
Bambara polisikɛla | ||
Basque polizia | ||
Belarusian паліцэйскі | ||
Bengali পুলিশ | ||
Bhojpuri सिपाही के ह | ||
Bosnian policajac | ||
Bulgarian ченге | ||
Catalan cop | ||
Cebuano pulis | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 警察 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 警察 | ||
Corsican fliccu | ||
Croatian policajac | ||
Czech policajt | ||
Danish politimand | ||
Dhivehi ފުލުހެއް | ||
Dogri सिपाही | ||
Dutch agent | ||
English cop | ||
Esperanto policano | ||
Estonian politseinik | ||
Ewe kpovitɔ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pulis | ||
Finnish poliisi | ||
French flic | ||
Frisian cop | ||
Galician policía | ||
Georgian პოლიციელი | ||
German polizist | ||
Greek μπάτσος | ||
Guarani policía | ||
Gujarati કોપ | ||
Haitian Creole jandam | ||
Hausa dan sanda | ||
Hawaiian kāpena | ||
Hebrew שׁוֹטֵר | ||
Hindi पुलिस | ||
Hmong tooj | ||
Hungarian zsaru | ||
Icelandic lögga | ||
Igbo cop | ||
Ilocano polis | ||
Indonesian polisi | ||
Irish cop | ||
Italian poliziotto | ||
Japanese 警官 | ||
Javanese pulisi | ||
Kannada ಪೋಲೀಸ್ | ||
Kazakh полиция | ||
Khmer cop | ||
Kinyarwanda umupolisi | ||
Konkani पोलीस | ||
Korean 순경 | ||
Krio polisman | ||
Kurdish polîs | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) پۆلیس | ||
Kyrgyz полиция | ||
Lao cop | ||
Latin cop | ||
Latvian policists | ||
Lingala polisi | ||
Lithuanian policininkas | ||
Luganda omuserikale | ||
Luxembourgish polizist | ||
Macedonian полицаец | ||
Maithili सिपाही | ||
Malagasy polisy | ||
Malay polis | ||
Malayalam കോപ്പ് | ||
Maltese kobob | ||
Maori pirihimana | ||
Marathi पोलिस | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀꯣꯞ | ||
Mizo cop a ni | ||
Mongolian цагдаа | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ရဲ | ||
Nepali पुलिस | ||
Norwegian politimann | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wapolisi | ||
Odia (Oriya) କପି | ||
Oromo poolisii | ||
Pashto پولیس | ||
Persian پلیس | ||
Polish policjant | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) policial | ||
Punjabi ਸਿਪਾਹੀ | ||
Quechua policía | ||
Romanian poliţist | ||
Russian полицейский | ||
Samoan leoleo | ||
Sanskrit पुलिस | ||
Scots Gaelic cop | ||
Sepedi lephodisa | ||
Serbian полицајац | ||
Sesotho lepolesa | ||
Shona mupurisa | ||
Sindhi پوليس وارو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පොලිස්කාරයා | ||
Slovak policajt | ||
Slovenian policaj | ||
Somali cop | ||
Spanish vez | ||
Sundanese pulisi | ||
Swahili askari | ||
Swedish polis | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pulis | ||
Tajik полис | ||
Tamil காவல்துறை | ||
Tatar коп | ||
Telugu పోలీసు | ||
Thai ตำรวจ | ||
Tigrinya ፖሊስ | ||
Tsonga phorisa | ||
Turkish polis | ||
Turkmen göçürme | ||
Twi (Akan) polisini | ||
Ukrainian коп | ||
Urdu پولیس اہلکار | ||
Uyghur ساقچى | ||
Uzbek politsiyachi | ||
Vietnamese cảnh sát | ||
Welsh cop | ||
Xhosa ipolisa | ||
Yiddish קאַפּ | ||
Yoruba ọlọpa | ||
Zulu iphoyisa |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word "polisieman" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "politieman" and ultimately from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state." |
| Albanian | The Albanian word "polic" is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city"} |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "ፖሊስ" "polis" is derived from the Greek word "polis" which referred to the whole body of citizens of a city-state. |
| Arabic | In addition to meaning "cop," شرطي ("shurti") can also mean "officer" in Arabic, or, in classical Arabic, "agent." } |
| Armenian | The word "ոստիկան" (cop) in Armenian derives from the Persian word "ostavān" (officer) and ultimately from the Greek word "epistátēs" (overseer). |
| Azerbaijani | In the 1990s, "polis" came to be used in Azerbaijani as slang to refer to a police officer, likely under Russian influence, where "polis" originally denoted a policeman or a military officer and is related to Ancient Greek "polis," "a fort". |
| Basque | The word "polizia" comes from the Basque word "politsiya", which means "police" or "authority." |
| Belarusian | The word "паліцэйскі" (''politseyskiy'') in Belarusian is derived from the Polish word "policja" (''police''), which in turn comes from the Greek word "polis" (''city''). |
| Bengali | The word "puলিশ" is derived from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city-state". It was originally used to refer to the citizens' militia that guarded Greek cities. |
| Bosnian | "Policajac" comes from the Turkish word "polis", which means "police". |
| Bulgarian | "ченге" may also mean "police station" or a "police officer in charge of a police station". |
| Catalan | In Catalan, "cop" can also mean "blow" or "piece". |
| Cebuano | The term pulis is derived from the Spanish word 'policía', which itself originated from the Classical Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizen' or 'civil authority'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 警察 literally means "governing the people" and is used to refer to law enforcement officers in China. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | "警察" originally meant "to inspect and control" in Chinese. |
| Corsican | The word "fliccu" also refers to a shepherd in Corsican. |
| Croatian | The word 'policajac' comes from the German word 'Polizei', which means 'police'. |
| Czech | The word "policajt" comes from the German word "Polizei" and has a similar meaning in other Slavic languages, such as Polish and Croatian. |
| Danish | Politimand is an amalgamation of the words "politikorps" (police force) and "mand" (man) in Danish. |
| Dutch | The Dutch word 'agent' also means 'commercial representative' or 'intermediary' |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "policano" is derived from the French "policier" and also means "police officer" in Interlingua. |
| Estonian | The word "politseinik" derives from the German word "Polizei", meaning "police", and the Estonian suffix '-nik". |
| Finnish | The Finnish word "poliisi" derives from the French "police" and the Latin "politia", meaning "governance" or "civil administration". |
| French | The word 'flic' also means 'movie' or 'film' in French slang, and is a truncation of the word 'flicker', a term for silent films. |
| Frisian | In Frisian, "cop" can also mean "to buy" as a verb. |
| Galician | The noun "policía" originally referred to "urban order" in Galician (Spanish "policía urbana"). |
| Georgian | The word "პოლიციელი" comes from the Greek word "polis" (city), from which also comes the word "police". |
| German | The word "Polizist" is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning “city,” and the Latin suffix "-ista," meaning “one who does,” so it literally means "one who does city-related things." |
| Greek | Μπάτσος derives from Turkish "polis" (police), but in Greek slang it may also mean "gangster" or "tough guy". |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "કોપ" (kop) can also refer to the forehead or temple. |
| Haitian Creole | The word 'jandam' is derived from the French word 'gendarme' |
| Hausa | The Hausa word "dan sanda" also means "police officer". |
| Hawaiian | In Hawaiian, 'kāpena' can also refer to a type of sea fish or a policeman. |
| Hebrew | The word "שׁוֹטֵר" in Hebrew can also refer to a whip or rod, as it derives from the root "שׁוּט" meaning "to whip". |
| Hindi | The word "पुलिस" is derived from the Greek word "πόλις", meaning "city" or "state". |
| Hmong | The Hmong word "tooj" also refers to a "policeman" or "officer." |
| Hungarian | The word "zsaru" likely comes from the Serbian "žandar" (gendarme), but it may also derive from the Romanian "jandar" (policeman). |
| Icelandic | The word "lögga" in Icelandic also means "log" or "record". |
| Igbo | The word "cop" can also refer to a type of Igbo traditional cap or hat, typically worn by men. |
| Indonesian | The word "polisi" derives from the Dutch word "politie" meaning "police," but it can also refer to a traditional Indonesian village headman or chief. |
| Irish | "Cop" in Irish means "head" or "top" and is used in names (Mac an Chopa, "son of the head") and place names (An GCop, "the head"). |
| Italian | The word "poliziotto" in Italian derives from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city", indicating its connection to urban law enforcement. |
| Japanese | The word "警官" can also mean "police station". |
| Javanese | "Pulisi" is derived from the Sanskrit word "paliisi" meaning "overseer". |
| Kannada | The word "cop" (ಪೋಲೀಸ್) derives from the Old English "cwebban", meaning "to seize". In Kannada, it is sometimes used to refer to other law enforcement officials, such as soldiers or guards. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "полиция" comes from the Russian "полиция", which in turn comes from the Greek "πολιτεία" (politesse), meaning "citizenship". |
| Khmer | The Khmer word "cop" means "to buy" or "to obtain." |
| Korean | The word "순경" (cop) in Korean literally means "person who walks around the neighborhood". |
| Kurdish | ''Polîs'', derived from the Greek ''polis'' meaning ''city-state,'' suggests its historical role as a local authority. |
| Kyrgyz | The Kyrgyz word “полиция” (cop) originates from the Greek word “polis” (city-state). |
| Lao | "Cop" is derived from the Proto-Tai word "*kop," which also meant "to seize," "to catch," and "to take." |
| Latin | The Latin word "cop" is derived from the Greek "kopos," meaning "toil," and is related to "copia," meaning "abundance." |
| Latvian | The word "policists" is derived from the French word "police", which means "to govern" or "to control". |
| Lithuanian | "Policininkas" is a loanword from Polish "policjant" meaning "policeman," itself derived from German "Polizeidiener" (police servant) from French "police" (policy, administration). |
| Luxembourgish | In Luxembourgish, the word "Polizist" can also refer to a police officer who is a member of the Grand Ducal Police. |
| Macedonian | The term 'полицаец' is derived from 'полиция' ('police' in Russian), and originally meant 'soldier' or 'policeman.' |
| Malagasy | The word "polisy" in Malagasy is derived from the French word "police" and also means "policy". |
| Malay | The word 'polis' in Malay is derived from the Dutch word 'politie', and it can also refer to the police force or a police station. |
| Malayalam | The word "കോപ്പ്" (cop) is derived from the Tamil word "குப்பு" (kuppa), which means "crown". It can also refer to the ornamental headdress worn by certain deities in Hindu temples. |
| Maltese | The word "kobob" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "qabḍ" meaning "to seize" or "to hold". |
| Maori | In the Māori language, 'pirihimana' also refers to the long feathers adorning the head of the huia bird. |
| Marathi | In Marathi, "पोलिस" (polis) likely originates from the term for "city," indicating the historical connection between law enforcement and urban areas. |
| Mongolian | Although цагдаа directly translates to "policeman in Mongolian, it ultimately derives from the Russian word “часовой” — meaning “sentry” - and thus carries connotations of vigilance and protection. |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ရဲ can also refer to soldiers, brave men or heroes, and those in charge of a prison. |
| Nepali | The word "पुलिस" derives from the Greek word "polis" meaning "city" and was originally used to refer to the city watch or guard. |
| Norwegian | The word "politimann" literally translates to "politics man" in English. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word 'wapolisi' in Nyanja can also be used to describe a group of people who enforce laws. |
| Pashto | The Pashto word "پولیس" is of Greek origin and originally meant "city" before acquiring its modern meaning. |
| Persian | Persian "پلیس" has the alternate meaning "policeman" like the English word "cop", but also has the meaning "police" like the English word "police". |
| Polish | "Policjant" also means "insurance policy" in Polish. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The word 'policial' in Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) is derived from the Greek 'polis', meaning 'city', and refers to an individual responsible for maintaining order within an urban environment. |
| Punjabi | The word "ਸਿਪਾਹੀ" can also refer to a foot soldier or an infantryman in Punjabi, originating from the Persian word "sipah" meaning "army". |
| Romanian | Etymology: poliţist (Romanian) comes from the French "police"," meaning "civic order". In Romanian slang, "poliţist" can also be used to refer to a "plainclothes policeman". |
| Russian | The word "полицейский" (cop) in Russian comes from the Greek "polis," meaning "city," and refers to a person who maintains order in a city. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word "leoleo" is cognate with the Malay "laya", which refers to hunting animals. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots word "cop" also means "to strike" or "to catch". |
| Serbian | In Serbian, the word "полицајац" originates from the French word "police" and also has the alternate meaning of "police officer" |
| Sesotho | Lepolesa also denotes a traditional form of wrestling among boys in the Basotho culture. |
| Shona | The word 'mupurisa' is also used to refer to 'a person who is in charge of others' or 'a person who is responsible for something'. |
| Slovak | The word 'policajt' is derived from the German term 'Polizeidiener', or 'police servant'. |
| Slovenian | Policaj is derived from the German word 'Polizei', meaning 'police' or 'official' |
| Somali | The Somali word "cop" can also refer to a type of traditional Somali headwear worn by men. |
| Spanish | The Spanish word "vez" comes from the Latin word "vice", meaning "change" or "place". |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, "pulisi" originates from the Dutch word "politie", meaning "police", and is also used to refer to traditional village guards. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "askari" derives from the Arabic "askar," meaning "soldier" or "army," and has also been used to refer to security guards or police officers in some contexts. |
| Swedish | Polis is also an archaic Swedish word for 'police station'. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Spanish Filipino, "pulis" derives from the Spanish word "policía" (police). |
| Tajik | The word "polis" comes from the Russian word "полиция" (politsiya), which in turn comes from the Greek word "πόλις" (polis), meaning "city". |
| Tamil | The term "cop" is a shortened form of "constable". |
| Telugu | The word "పోలీసు" (cop) in Telugu originates from the Sanskrit word "पुलिस" (Puliś) meaning "officer". It also has alternate meanings such as "guard" and "watchman". |
| Thai | ตำรวจ (tam ruat) is derived from the Sanskrit word "dharma-rakshaka," meaning "protector of the law". |
| Turkish | Polis is the Turkish word for police, derived from the ancient Greek word 'polis', meaning 'city-state'. |
| Ukrainian | As an abbreviation, "коп" also means "копейка" (a small change coin). |
| Urdu | The word "cop" is derived from the Latin "capere," meaning "to seize" or "to catch," and is related to the French "caper," meaning "to capture." |
| Uzbek | The word "politsiyachi" in Uzbek is derived from the Russian word "politsiya" meaning "police". It is also sometimes used to refer to a soldier or a prison guard. |
| Vietnamese | The Vietnamese word "cảnh sát" is derived from the Chinese word "jingcha", which means "policeman". |
| Welsh | The word 'cop' in Welsh is a slang term for the police, and it likely originated from the English word 'copper', which was used to describe a police officer. |
| Xhosa | The Xhosa word 'ipolisa' originated from the English word 'police'. |
| Yiddish | The word "קאַפּ" ("cop") in Yiddish can also mean "to buy" or "to seize". |
| Yoruba | Ọlọ́pà is a Yoruba word that originally meant "one who carries a gun" but later came to mean "police officer". |
| Zulu | The word 'iphoyisa' in Zulu is derived from the Zulu words 'ipo' meaning place and 'isa' meaning sit, likely referring to their presence in police stations. |
| English | "Cop" also refers to the metal cap of a bullet, a small amount (e.g. "had a cop of beer"), and is short for "copper" (police officer). |