Police in Different Languages
Discover 'Police' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Police
Afrikaans polisie | ||
Albanian policia | ||
Amharic ፖሊስ | ||
Arabic شرطة | ||
Armenian ոստիկանություն | ||
Assamese আৰক্ষী | ||
Aymara palla palla | ||
Azerbaijani polis | ||
Bambara polisi | ||
Basque polizia | ||
Belarusian міліцыя | ||
Bengali পুলিশ | ||
Bhojpuri पुलिस | ||
Bosnian policija | ||
Bulgarian полиция | ||
Catalan policia | ||
Cebuano pulis | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 警察 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 警察 | ||
Corsican polizia | ||
Croatian policija | ||
Czech policie | ||
Danish politi | ||
Dhivehi ޕޮލިސް | ||
Dogri पुलस | ||
Dutch politie | ||
English police | ||
Esperanto polico | ||
Estonian politsei | ||
Ewe kpovitɔ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pulis | ||
Finnish poliisi | ||
French police | ||
Frisian plysje | ||
Galician policía | ||
Georgian პოლიცია | ||
German polizei | ||
Greek αστυνομία | ||
Guarani tahachi | ||
Gujarati પોલીસ | ||
Haitian Creole lapolis | ||
Hausa 'yan sanda | ||
Hawaiian mākaʻi | ||
Hebrew מִשׁטָרָה | ||
Hindi पुलिस | ||
Hmong tub ceev xwm | ||
Hungarian rendőrség | ||
Icelandic lögreglu | ||
Igbo ndị uwe ojii | ||
Ilocano pulis | ||
Indonesian polisi | ||
Irish póilíní | ||
Italian polizia | ||
Japanese 警察 | ||
Javanese pulisi | ||
Kannada ಪೊಲೀಸ್ | ||
Kazakh полиция | ||
Khmer ប៉ូលីស | ||
Kinyarwanda abapolisi | ||
Konkani पुलिस | ||
Korean 경찰 | ||
Krio polis | ||
Kurdish pûlis | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) پۆلیس | ||
Kyrgyz полиция | ||
Lao ຕຳ ຫຼວດ | ||
Latin magistratus | ||
Latvian policija | ||
Lingala polisi | ||
Lithuanian policija | ||
Luganda poliisi | ||
Luxembourgish police | ||
Macedonian полицијата | ||
Maithili पुलिस | ||
Malagasy polisy | ||
Malay polis | ||
Malayalam പോലീസ് | ||
Maltese pulizija | ||
Maori pirihimana | ||
Marathi पोलिस | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯄꯨꯂꯤꯁ | ||
Mizo sipai | ||
Mongolian цагдаа | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ရဲ | ||
Nepali पुलिस | ||
Norwegian politiet | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) apolisi | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପୋଲିସ | ||
Oromo poolisii | ||
Pashto پولیس | ||
Persian پلیس | ||
Polish policja | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) polícia | ||
Punjabi ਪੁਲਿਸ | ||
Quechua policia | ||
Romanian politie | ||
Russian полиция | ||
Samoan leoleo | ||
Sanskrit आरक्षक | ||
Scots Gaelic poileas | ||
Sepedi maphodisa | ||
Serbian полиција | ||
Sesotho mapolesa | ||
Shona mapurisa | ||
Sindhi پوليس | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පොලිසිය | ||
Slovak polícia | ||
Slovenian policijo | ||
Somali booliska | ||
Spanish policía | ||
Sundanese pulisi | ||
Swahili polisi | ||
Swedish polis | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pulis | ||
Tajik полис | ||
Tamil காவல் | ||
Tatar полиция | ||
Telugu పోలీసులు | ||
Thai ตำรวจ | ||
Tigrinya ፖሊስ | ||
Tsonga phorisa | ||
Turkish polis | ||
Turkmen polisiýa | ||
Twi (Akan) polisi | ||
Ukrainian міліція | ||
Urdu پولیس | ||
Uyghur ساقچىلار | ||
Uzbek politsiya | ||
Vietnamese cảnh sát | ||
Welsh heddlu | ||
Xhosa mapolisa | ||
Yiddish פאליציי | ||
Yoruba olopa | ||
Zulu amaphoyisa |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | The word 'polisie' in Afrikaans is a false cognate of the English word 'policy,' instead deriving from the French word 'police,' meaning 'order' or 'public safety.' |
| Albanian | In Albanian, "policia" can also refer to the "militia" or "armed forces". |
| Amharic | The word “ፖሊስ” also has the alternate meaning “a small village.” |
| Arabic | In Arabic, "شرطة" (shirtah) also means a "line" or a "mark," likely due to the parallel lines worn on police uniforms. |
| Azerbaijani | In Azerbaijani, |
| Basque | The Basque word 'polizia' is not a native word but a loanword from Spanish, which in turn originated from the Ancient Greek word 'politeia'. |
| Belarusian | The word "міліцыя" in Belarusian originates from the Latin word "militia", meaning "military service". |
| Bengali | The Bengali word "পুলিশ" ("police") is derived from the Persian word "پوليس" ("police"), which in turn originated from the Greek word "πόλις" ("city"). |
| Bosnian | The word "policija" is similar to the word for "politics" in many Slavic languages, potentially due to their common Indo-European root. |
| Bulgarian | "Полиция" can also mean "insurance policy" in Bulgarian and originally comes from the Greek "πολιτεία" meaning "city-state" or "civil government". |
| Catalan | The Catalan word "policia" comes from the Greek "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "civil government." |
| Cebuano | In Cebuano, "pulis" also means "to take care of" or "to watch over." |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 警察 originated as a term for night watchmen in Song dynasty China, and its characters mean "to control" and "to see". |
| Chinese (Traditional) | In Japanese, '警察' can also mean 'law enforcement officer'. |
| Corsican | In Corsican, "Polizia" also means "prudence" or "good judgment". |
| Croatian | The word 'policija' is derived from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'city-state' or 'citizenship'. |
| Czech | In Czech, "policie" also means "insurance policy" and derives from the French and Latin word for "city". |
| Danish | "Politi" is derived from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "body of citizens", and was originally used to refer to the citizens' militia in charge of maintaining order in medieval Denmark. |
| Dutch | Politie (Dutch for "police") derives from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "civil system." |
| Esperanto | The Esperanto word "polico" is derived from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city-state". |
| Estonian | The word "politsei" in Estonian has its origins in the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "city-state." |
| Finnish | The word "poliisi" in Finnish derives from the Greek "polis", meaning "city-state", and originally referred to the local militia responsible for maintaining order in the city. |
| French | The word "police" in French can also refer to an insurance policy. |
| Frisian | The word "Plysje" in Frisian shares its etymology with the English word "plush", referring to a luxurious fabric, and may have originally described the fancy uniforms worn by police officers. |
| Galician | In Galician, the word "policía" can also refer to the "city council" or a "civil guard" |
| Georgian | The word "პოლიცია" can also refer to a general "police force" rather than a specific police department. |
| German | The word Polizei comes from the Greek word politeia, meaning "citizenship" or "civil government." |
| Greek | "Αστυνομία" (police) literally means "urban administration" and refers to the organization responsible for the enforcement of laws in urban areas. |
| Gujarati | The Gujarati word "પોલીસ" is a borrowing of the English word "police", which is derived from the Greek word "polis" meaning 'city'. |
| Haitian Creole | The word 'lapolis' in Haitian Creole is derived from the French word 'la police,' meaning "the police". |
| Hausa | 'Yan sanda' literally translates to 'those who hold sticks,' referring to the traditional canes carried by law enforcement officers in pre-colonial Hausa society. |
| Hawaiian | Mākaʻi in Hawaiian means "overseer" or "guardian," with overseers historically tasked with upholding kapu (laws). |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word מִשׁטָרָה (police) is also related to מִשׁטָר (administration), מִשׁטֶרֶת (watch, guard) |
| Hindi | Derived from the Greek 'polis' meaning city, 'police' initially referred to the citizens of a city and their civic duties. |
| Hmong | The word 'tub ceev xwm' is derived from the Chinese word 'tub ceev', which means 'to protect', and the Hmong word 'xwm', which means 'people'. |
| Hungarian | The etymology of 'rendőrség' is uncertain, but it may be derived from 'rend' (order) or 'rendez' (to arrange). |
| Icelandic | Lögreglu' is derived from 'lög' meaning laws or rules and 'regla' meaning regulation, indicating their role in enforcing and regulating the execution of laws. |
| Igbo | 'Ndị uwe ojii', which literally means 'people with black clothing' in Igbo, is an apt term for the police as a symbol of authority. |
| Indonesian | "Polisi" in Indonesian comes from the Sanskrit "pālisi" (guidance) and can also refer to policy or guidelines. |
| Italian | The Italian word "polizia" derives from the Greek "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "state". |
| Japanese | The word 警察 (keisatsu) is derived from the Chinese words 治安 (治安) and 警察 (警察), and can also mean "law enforcement" or "public security". |
| Javanese | The Javanese word "pulisi" originally referred to a type of royal guard responsible for securing the ruler's palace and carrying out law enforcement duties within the court. |
| Kannada | The word "ಪೊಲೀಸ್" in Kannada is derived from the French word "police", which in turn comes from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "city-state". |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word for "police," "полиция," is derived from the Russian word "полиция," which in turn comes from the Greek word "πολιτεία," meaning "city-state". |
| Khmer | The term 'police' in Khmer (ប៉ូលីស) originates from the French word 'police' and also refers to the police force in the country. |
| Korean | The word '경찰' (police) in Korean originates from the Chinese characters '警' meaning 'to warn' and '察' meaning 'to investigate'. |
| Kurdish | The word "pûlis" is derived from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city", and initially referred to the urban guard in the Ottoman Empire. |
| Kyrgyz | "Полиция" in Kyrgyz means "government". In addition, it can also mean "order", "law", "authority", "jurisprudence", "regulation", "management". |
| Lao | "ຕຳຫຼວດ" originally meant city guards who guarded the walls surrounding Vientiane before it became the name for police officers. |
| Latin | The Latin word "magistratus" also referred to Roman government officials and magistrates. |
| Latvian | Latvian “policija” comes from Polish “policja”, which in turn comes from French “police”, which traces its roots to the Latin word “politia”, meaning governance or citizenship. |
| Lithuanian | "Policija" is the borrowing from a Polish "policja", in its turn coming from French "police". |
| Luxembourgish | Luxembourgish word "Police" also means "insurance policy". |
| Malagasy | Polisy, or 'Police', in Malagasy, also means politics in the sense of the conduct of government affairs; the management and control of public affairs (Merina dictionary). |
| Malay | The word "polis" in Malay also refers to a city-state in ancient Greece, a political community, or a body of citizens. |
| Malayalam | The word "പോലീസ്" derives from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city," and was adopted into Malayalam to refer to the local police force. |
| Maltese | The word 'pulizija' is derived from the Italian word 'polizia', which in turn comes from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship' or 'state'. |
| Maori | Despite meaning 'police' in Maori, 'pirihimana' also refers to an ancient form of weaponry. |
| Marathi | The word "पोलिस" is derived from the Greek word "πόλις" (polis), meaning "city-state" or "community". |
| Mongolian | "Tsagdaa" derives from the Tibetan "tshak" meaning "troops" and is cognate with the Mandarin Chinese "jià" (家), meaning "family" or "clan". |
| Myanmar (Burmese) | The term |
| Nepali | The word "पुलिस" is derived from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "the affairs of the city." |
| Norwegian | Politiet in Norwegian originates from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "the body of citizens", and has come to mean "police" through its association with public order and the maintenance of societal norms. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "apolisi" is derived from the English word "police". |
| Pashto | The Pashto word “پولیس” (“police”) is borrowed from the Greek word “πόλις” (“city”), likely adopted via the Persian or Arabic intermediate languages. |
| Persian | The Persian word "پلیس" ("police") is ultimately derived from the Greek word "πολίτης" ("citizen"), via French "police". |
| Polish | Etymologically, 'Policja' derives from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship', and the Latin 'politia', meaning 'government' or 'administration'. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, the word "polícia" comes from the Greek "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "organization of a city". |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਪੁਲਿਸ" is derived from the Persian word "polis" meaning "city". In ancient times, the "polis" was responsible for maintaining law and order in the city. |
| Romanian | In Romanian, "poliție" (police) derives from the Greek polis (city-state), denoting its role to maintain public order and enforce city laws. |
| Russian | The word "полиция" in Russian derives from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "civil government". |
| Samoan | The word "leoleo" in Samoan derives from the phrase "le o le o", meaning "voice of the king". |
| Scots Gaelic | "Poileas" shares a root with the Irish word "pobal" meaning "people". |
| Serbian | The word "полиција" comes from the Greek word "πολιτεία" (politeia), which originally meant "citizenship" or "the body of citizens" and later came to mean "the government" or "the police". |
| Sesotho | Mapolesa, the Sesotho word for police, derives from the word 'mapolesa,' meaning 'to keep order'. |
| Shona | Mapurisa, the Shona word for police, refers to a force raised from a body of warriors. |
| Sindhi | "پوليس" may also mean "a man". Additionally, it can also be used to address a man in a casual manner in Sindhi. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | පොලිසිය has a root meaning 'policy' and is cognate to "policy" in English and "police" in European languages. |
| Slovak | The Slovak word "polícia" comes from the Latin word "politia" meaning "government" or "administration". |
| Slovenian | "Policijo" comes from the German word "Polizei," derived from the Latin "politia," meaning "civil government or administration." |
| Somali | Booliska, the Somali word for police, is derived from the Italian word "polizia," which was itself borrowed from ancient Greek. |
| Spanish | The term "policía" in Spanish derives from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city," and the Latin suffix "-ia," indicating a state or quality. |
| Sundanese | The word "pulisi" in Sundanese originally referred to a type of traditional weapon used by local guards. |
| Swahili | Polisi derives from the Greek word 'polis' meaning city or state. |
| Swedish | In Swedish, "polis" can also refer to the Greek city-state, known as a "polis" in English. |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | In Tagalog, "pulis" originally meant "to watch over others" and is also closely related to "to awaken." |
| Tajik | In Tajik, the word for "police" is "милиция", while "полис" means "insurance policy". |
| Telugu | "పోలీసులు" (police) is derived from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "city-state." |
| Thai | The word "ตำรวจ" (police) in Thai originally meant "to oppress" or "to control" and was used to refer to officials who maintained order in the kingdom. |
| Turkish | In Turkish, "polis" can also refer to the city-state in ancient Greece (polis). |
| Ukrainian | The word "міліція" (police) in Ukrainian comes from the Latin word "militia", meaning "military" or "citizen soldiery." |
| Urdu | While in Urdu "پولیس" means "police," it derives from the Greek word "πόλις" (polis), meaning "city-state," and was originally used in Urdu to refer to "city guard." |
| Uzbek | The word "politsiya" is derived from the Greek "politeia" meaning "city-state" and was originally used to refer to the city watch in ancient Greece. |
| Vietnamese | The word "cảnh sát" is derived from the Chinese word "jingcha", which means "to investigate and arrest". |
| Welsh | The word 'heddlu' is also used to refer to the military in Welsh. |
| Xhosa | The word 'Mapolisa' in Xhosa is derived from the Zulu word 'Omaphoyisa', which means 'those who watch over' or 'peacekeepers'. |
| Yiddish | The word 'פאליציי' comes from the German word 'Polizei', which itself is derived from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship' or 'city-state'. |
| Yoruba | In Yoruba mythology, olopa was believed to be a nocturnal deity who punished evildoers. |
| Zulu | The Zulu word "amaphoyisa" is derived from the verb "ukubopha," meaning "to catch" or "to arrest" |
| English | The word «police» comes from the Greek word «politeia», meaning "citizenship" or "the duties of a citizen", and was originally used to refer to the entire body of citizens who were responsible for maintaining order and security in a community. |