Cop in Different Languages
Discover 'Cop' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'cop' is a part of our everyday language, often used to refer to police officers who 'cop' or catch criminals. Its significance goes beyond law enforcement, as it has become a cultural icon, inspiring movies, books, and TV shows about 'cops and robbers.' But did you know that the term 'cop' is actually derived from the verb 'to cop,' which means 'to catch'? It originated in the early 18th century, and its usage has evolved over time.
Understanding the translation of 'cop' in different languages can provide valuable insights into how other cultures perceive law enforcement. For example, in Spanish, 'cop' is translated as 'policía,' while in French, it's 'police.' In German, the translation is 'Polizei,' and in Japanese, it's '警察' (keisatsu).
Whether you're a language enthusiast, a traveler, or someone who enjoys learning about different cultures, understanding the translation of 'cop' in different languages can be a fun and educational experience.
Cop
Cop in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | polisieman | ||
| The word "polisieman" in Afrikaans is derived from the Dutch word "politieman" and ultimately from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city-state." | |||
| Amharic | ፖሊስ | ||
| The Amharic word "ፖሊስ" "polis" is derived from the Greek word "polis" which referred to the whole body of citizens of a city-state. | |||
| Hausa | dan sanda | ||
| The Hausa word "dan sanda" also means "police officer". | |||
| Igbo | cop | ||
| The word "cop" can also refer to a type of Igbo traditional cap or hat, typically worn by men. | |||
| Malagasy | polisy | ||
| The word "polisy" in Malagasy is derived from the French word "police" and also means "policy". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | wapolisi | ||
| The word 'wapolisi' in Nyanja can also be used to describe a group of people who enforce laws. | |||
| Shona | mupurisa | ||
| 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'. | |||
| Somali | cop | ||
| The Somali word "cop" can also refer to a type of traditional Somali headwear worn by men. | |||
| Sesotho | lepolesa | ||
| Lepolesa also denotes a traditional form of wrestling among boys in the Basotho culture. | |||
| Swahili | askari | ||
| 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. | |||
| Xhosa | ipolisa | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ipolisa' originated from the English word 'police'. | |||
| Yoruba | ọlọpa | ||
| Ọlọ́pà is a Yoruba word that originally meant "one who carries a gun" but later came to mean "police officer". | |||
| Zulu | iphoyisa | ||
| 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. | |||
| Bambara | polisikɛla | ||
| Ewe | kpovitɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | umupolisi | ||
| Lingala | polisi | ||
| Luganda | omuserikale | ||
| Sepedi | lephodisa | ||
| Twi (Akan) | polisini | ||
Cop in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شرطي | ||
| In addition to meaning "cop," شرطي ("shurti") can also mean "officer" in Arabic, or, in classical Arabic, "agent." } | |||
| Hebrew | שׁוֹטֵר | ||
| The word "שׁוֹטֵר" in Hebrew can also refer to a whip or rod, as it derives from the root "שׁוּט" meaning "to whip". | |||
| Pashto | پولیس | ||
| The Pashto word "پولیس" is of Greek origin and originally meant "city" before acquiring its modern meaning. | |||
| Arabic | شرطي | ||
| In addition to meaning "cop," شرطي ("shurti") can also mean "officer" in Arabic, or, in classical Arabic, "agent." } | |||
Cop in Western European Languages
| Albanian | polic | ||
| The Albanian word "polic" is derived from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city"} | |||
| Basque | polizia | ||
| The word "polizia" comes from the Basque word "politsiya", which means "police" or "authority." | |||
| Catalan | cop | ||
| In Catalan, "cop" can also mean "blow" or "piece". | |||
| Croatian | policajac | ||
| The word 'policajac' comes from the German word 'Polizei', which means 'police'. | |||
| Danish | politimand | ||
| Politimand is an amalgamation of the words "politikorps" (police force) and "mand" (man) in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | agent | ||
| The Dutch word 'agent' also means 'commercial representative' or 'intermediary' | |||
| English | cop | ||
| "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). | |||
| French | flic | ||
| 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 | cop | ||
| In Frisian, "cop" can also mean "to buy" as a verb. | |||
| Galician | policía | ||
| The noun "policía" originally referred to "urban order" in Galician (Spanish "policía urbana"). | |||
| German | polizist | ||
| 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." | |||
| Icelandic | lögga | ||
| The word "lögga" in Icelandic also means "log" or "record". | |||
| Irish | cop | ||
| "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 | poliziotto | ||
| The word "poliziotto" in Italian derives from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city", indicating its connection to urban law enforcement. | |||
| Luxembourgish | polizist | ||
| In Luxembourgish, the word "Polizist" can also refer to a police officer who is a member of the Grand Ducal Police. | |||
| Maltese | kobob | ||
| The word "kobob" in Maltese derives from the Arabic word "qabḍ" meaning "to seize" or "to hold". | |||
| Norwegian | politimann | ||
| The word "politimann" literally translates to "politics man" in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | policial | ||
| 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. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | cop | ||
| The Scots word "cop" also means "to strike" or "to catch". | |||
| Spanish | vez | ||
| The Spanish word "vez" comes from the Latin word "vice", meaning "change" or "place". | |||
| Swedish | polis | ||
| Polis is also an archaic Swedish word for 'police station'. | |||
| Welsh | cop | ||
| 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. | |||
Cop in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | паліцэйскі | ||
| The word "паліцэйскі" (''politseyskiy'') in Belarusian is derived from the Polish word "policja" (''police''), which in turn comes from the Greek word "polis" (''city''). | |||
| Bosnian | policajac | ||
| "Policajac" comes from the Turkish word "polis", which means "police". | |||
| Bulgarian | ченге | ||
| "ченге" may also mean "police station" or a "police officer in charge of a police station". | |||
| Czech | policajt | ||
| The word "policajt" comes from the German word "Polizei" and has a similar meaning in other Slavic languages, such as Polish and Croatian. | |||
| Estonian | politseinik | ||
| The word "politseinik" derives from the German word "Polizei", meaning "police", and the Estonian suffix '-nik". | |||
| Finnish | poliisi | ||
| The Finnish word "poliisi" derives from the French "police" and the Latin "politia", meaning "governance" or "civil administration". | |||
| Hungarian | zsaru | ||
| The word "zsaru" likely comes from the Serbian "žandar" (gendarme), but it may also derive from the Romanian "jandar" (policeman). | |||
| Latvian | policists | ||
| The word "policists" is derived from the French word "police", which means "to govern" or "to control". | |||
| Lithuanian | policininkas | ||
| "Policininkas" is a loanword from Polish "policjant" meaning "policeman," itself derived from German "Polizeidiener" (police servant) from French "police" (policy, administration). | |||
| Macedonian | полицаец | ||
| The term 'полицаец' is derived from 'полиция' ('police' in Russian), and originally meant 'soldier' or 'policeman.' | |||
| Polish | policjant | ||
| "Policjant" also means "insurance policy" in Polish. | |||
| Romanian | poliţist | ||
| 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 | полицейский | ||
| The word "полицейский" (cop) in Russian comes from the Greek "polis," meaning "city," and refers to a person who maintains order in a city. | |||
| Serbian | полицајац | ||
| In Serbian, the word "полицајац" originates from the French word "police" and also has the alternate meaning of "police officer" | |||
| Slovak | policajt | ||
| The word 'policajt' is derived from the German term 'Polizeidiener', or 'police servant'. | |||
| Slovenian | policaj | ||
| Policaj is derived from the German word 'Polizei', meaning 'police' or 'official' | |||
| Ukrainian | коп | ||
| As an abbreviation, "коп" also means "копейка" (a small change coin). | |||
Cop in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পুলিশ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Gujarati | કોપ | ||
| The Gujarati word "કોપ" (kop) can also refer to the forehead or temple. | |||
| Hindi | पुलिस | ||
| The word "पुलिस" is derived from the Greek word "πόλις", meaning "city" or "state". | |||
| Kannada | ಪೋಲೀಸ್ | ||
| 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. | |||
| Malayalam | കോപ്പ് | ||
| 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. | |||
| Marathi | पोलिस | ||
| In Marathi, "पोलिस" (polis) likely originates from the term for "city," indicating the historical connection between law enforcement and urban areas. | |||
| Nepali | पुलिस | ||
| The word "पुलिस" derives from the Greek word "polis" meaning "city" and was originally used to refer to the city watch or guard. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਿਪਾਹੀ | ||
| The word "ਸਿਪਾਹੀ" can also refer to a foot soldier or an infantryman in Punjabi, originating from the Persian word "sipah" meaning "army". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පොලිස්කාරයා | ||
| Tamil | காவல்துறை | ||
| The term "cop" is a shortened form of "constable". | |||
| Telugu | పోలీసు | ||
| 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". | |||
| Urdu | پولیس اہلکار | ||
| 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." | |||
Cop in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 警察 | ||
| 警察 literally means "governing the people" and is used to refer to law enforcement officers in China. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 警察 | ||
| "警察" originally meant "to inspect and control" in Chinese. | |||
| Japanese | 警官 | ||
| The word "警官" can also mean "police station". | |||
| Korean | 순경 | ||
| The word "순경" (cop) in Korean literally means "person who walks around the neighborhood". | |||
| Mongolian | цагдаа | ||
| 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 | ||
| ရဲ can also refer to soldiers, brave men or heroes, and those in charge of a prison. | |||
Cop in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | polisi | ||
| The word "polisi" derives from the Dutch word "politie" meaning "police," but it can also refer to a traditional Indonesian village headman or chief. | |||
| Javanese | pulisi | ||
| "Pulisi" is derived from the Sanskrit word "paliisi" meaning "overseer". | |||
| Khmer | cop | ||
| The Khmer word "cop" means "to buy" or "to obtain." | |||
| Lao | cop | ||
| "Cop" is derived from the Proto-Tai word "*kop," which also meant "to seize," "to catch," and "to take." | |||
| Malay | polis | ||
| 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. | |||
| Thai | ตำรวจ | ||
| ตำรวจ (tam ruat) is derived from the Sanskrit word "dharma-rakshaka," meaning "protector of the law". | |||
| Vietnamese | cảnh sát | ||
| The Vietnamese word "cảnh sát" is derived from the Chinese word "jingcha", which means "policeman". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulis | ||
Cop in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | polis | ||
| 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". | |||
| Kazakh | полиция | ||
| The Kazakh word "полиция" comes from the Russian "полиция", which in turn comes from the Greek "πολιτεία" (politesse), meaning "citizenship". | |||
| Kyrgyz | полиция | ||
| The Kyrgyz word “полиция” (cop) originates from the Greek word “polis” (city-state). | |||
| Tajik | полис | ||
| The word "polis" comes from the Russian word "полиция" (politsiya), which in turn comes from the Greek word "πόλις" (polis), meaning "city". | |||
| Turkmen | göçürme | ||
| Uzbek | politsiyachi | ||
| 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. | |||
| Uyghur | ساقچى | ||
Cop in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kāpena | ||
| In Hawaiian, 'kāpena' can also refer to a type of sea fish or a policeman. | |||
| Maori | pirihimana | ||
| In the Māori language, 'pirihimana' also refers to the long feathers adorning the head of the huia bird. | |||
| Samoan | leoleo | ||
| The Samoan word "leoleo" is cognate with the Malay "laya", which refers to hunting animals. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pulis | ||
| In Spanish Filipino, "pulis" derives from the Spanish word "policía" (police). | |||
Cop in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | policía | ||
| Guarani | policía | ||
Cop in International Languages
| Esperanto | policano | ||
| The Esperanto word "policano" is derived from the French "policier" and also means "police officer" in Interlingua. | |||
| Latin | cop | ||
| The Latin word "cop" is derived from the Greek "kopos," meaning "toil," and is related to "copia," meaning "abundance." | |||
Cop in Others Languages
| Greek | μπάτσος | ||
| Μπάτσος derives from Turkish "polis" (police), but in Greek slang it may also mean "gangster" or "tough guy". | |||
| Hmong | tooj | ||
| The Hmong word "tooj" also refers to a "policeman" or "officer." | |||
| Kurdish | polîs | ||
| ''Polîs'', derived from the Greek ''polis'' meaning ''city-state,'' suggests its historical role as a local authority. | |||
| Turkish | polis | ||
| Polis is the Turkish word for police, derived from the ancient Greek word 'polis', meaning 'city-state'. | |||
| Xhosa | ipolisa | ||
| The Xhosa word 'ipolisa' originated from the English word 'police'. | |||
| Yiddish | קאַפּ | ||
| The word "קאַפּ" ("cop") in Yiddish can also mean "to buy" or "to seize". | |||
| Zulu | iphoyisa | ||
| 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. | |||
| Assamese | পুলিচ | ||
| Aymara | policía | ||
| Bhojpuri | सिपाही के ह | ||
| Dhivehi | ފުލުހެއް | ||
| Dogri | सिपाही | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pulis | ||
| Guarani | policía | ||
| Ilocano | polis | ||
| Krio | polisman | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پۆلیس | ||
| Maithili | सिपाही | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯣꯞ | ||
| Mizo | cop a ni | ||
| Oromo | poolisii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କପି | ||
| Quechua | policía | ||
| Sanskrit | पुलिस | ||
| Tatar | коп | ||
| Tigrinya | ፖሊስ | ||
| Tsonga | phorisa | ||