Police in different languages

Police in Different Languages

Discover 'Police' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'police' holds immense significance in societies worldwide, serving as the backbone of law and order. Its cultural importance is undeniable, with police forces playing a crucial role in maintaining peace and ensuring safety in communities. But have you ever wondered how the word 'police' translates in different languages? Understanding these translations can provide fascinating insights into cultural perspectives on law enforcement.

For instance, in Spanish, 'police' translates to 'policía,' while in French, it's 'police.' In German, it's 'Polizei,' and in Italian, 'polizia.' These translations not only help in cross-cultural communication but also offer a glimpse into the historical contexts of law enforcement in different countries.

So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a traveler seeking cultural insights, or someone with a fascination for the world's police forces, this list of 'police' translations in various languages is sure to intrigue you.

Police


Police in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaanspolisie
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.'
Amharicፖሊስ
The word “ፖሊስ” also has the alternate meaning “a small village.”
Hausa'yan sanda
'Yan sanda' literally translates to 'those who hold sticks,' referring to the traditional canes carried by law enforcement officers in pre-colonial Hausa society.
Igbondị uwe ojii
'Ndị uwe ojii', which literally means 'people with black clothing' in Igbo, is an apt term for the police as a symbol of authority.
Malagasypolisy
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).
Nyanja (Chichewa)apolisi
The word "apolisi" is derived from the English word "police".
Shonamapurisa
Mapurisa, the Shona word for police, refers to a force raised from a body of warriors.
Somalibooliska
Booliska, the Somali word for police, is derived from the Italian word "polizia," which was itself borrowed from ancient Greek.
Sesothomapolesa
Mapolesa, the Sesotho word for police, derives from the word 'mapolesa,' meaning 'to keep order'.
Swahilipolisi
Polisi derives from the Greek word 'polis' meaning city or state.
Xhosamapolisa
The word 'Mapolisa' in Xhosa is derived from the Zulu word 'Omaphoyisa', which means 'those who watch over' or 'peacekeepers'.
Yorubaolopa
In Yoruba mythology, olopa was believed to be a nocturnal deity who punished evildoers.
Zuluamaphoyisa
The Zulu word "amaphoyisa" is derived from the verb "ukubopha," meaning "to catch" or "to arrest"
Bambarapolisi
Ewekpovitɔ
Kinyarwandaabapolisi
Lingalapolisi
Lugandapoliisi
Sepedimaphodisa
Twi (Akan)polisi

Police in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicشرطة
In Arabic, "شرطة" (shirtah) also means a "line" or a "mark," likely due to the parallel lines worn on police uniforms.
Hebrewמִשׁטָרָה
The Hebrew word מִשׁטָרָה (police) is also related to מִשׁטָר (administration), מִשׁטֶרֶת (watch, guard)
Pashtoپولیس
The Pashto word “پولیس” (“police”) is borrowed from the Greek word “πόλις” (“city”), likely adopted via the Persian or Arabic intermediate languages.
Arabicشرطة
In Arabic, "شرطة" (shirtah) also means a "line" or a "mark," likely due to the parallel lines worn on police uniforms.

Police in Western European Languages

Albanianpolicia
In Albanian, "policia" can also refer to the "militia" or "armed forces".
Basquepolizia
The Basque word 'polizia' is not a native word but a loanword from Spanish, which in turn originated from the Ancient Greek word 'politeia'.
Catalanpolicia
The Catalan word "policia" comes from the Greek "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "civil government."
Croatianpolicija
The word 'policija' is derived from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'city-state' or 'citizenship'.
Danishpoliti
"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.
Dutchpolitie
Politie (Dutch for "police") derives from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "civil system."
Englishpolice
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.
Frenchpolice
The word "police" in French can also refer to an insurance policy.
Frisianplysje
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.
Galicianpolicía
In Galician, the word "policía" can also refer to the "city council" or a "civil guard"
Germanpolizei
The word Polizei comes from the Greek word politeia, meaning "citizenship" or "civil government."
Icelandiclögreglu
Lögreglu' is derived from 'lög' meaning laws or rules and 'regla' meaning regulation, indicating their role in enforcing and regulating the execution of laws.
Irishpóilíní
Italianpolizia
The Italian word "polizia" derives from the Greek "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "state".
Luxembourgishpolice
Luxembourgish word "Police" also means "insurance policy".
Maltesepulizija
The word 'pulizija' is derived from the Italian word 'polizia', which in turn comes from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship' or 'state'.
Norwegianpolitiet
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.
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)polícia
In Portuguese, the word "polícia" comes from the Greek "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "organization of a city".
Scots Gaelicpoileas
"Poileas" shares a root with the Irish word "pobal" meaning "people".
Spanishpolicía
The term "policía" in Spanish derives from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city," and the Latin suffix "-ia," indicating a state or quality.
Swedishpolis
In Swedish, "polis" can also refer to the Greek city-state, known as a "polis" in English.
Welshheddlu
The word 'heddlu' is also used to refer to the military in Welsh.

Police in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianміліцыя
The word "міліцыя" in Belarusian originates from the Latin word "militia", meaning "military service".
Bosnianpolicija
The word "policija" is similar to the word for "politics" in many Slavic languages, potentially due to their common Indo-European root.
Bulgarianполиция
"Полиция" can also mean "insurance policy" in Bulgarian and originally comes from the Greek "πολιτεία" meaning "city-state" or "civil government".
Czechpolicie
In Czech, "policie" also means "insurance policy" and derives from the French and Latin word for "city".
Estonianpolitsei
The word "politsei" in Estonian has its origins in the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "city-state."
Finnishpoliisi
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.
Hungarianrendőrség
The etymology of 'rendőrség' is uncertain, but it may be derived from 'rend' (order) or 'rendez' (to arrange).
Latvianpolicija
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.
Lithuanianpolicija
"Policija" is the borrowing from a Polish "policja", in its turn coming from French "police".
Macedonianполицијата
Polishpolicja
Etymologically, 'Policja' derives from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship', and the Latin 'politia', meaning 'government' or 'administration'.
Romanianpolitie
In Romanian, "poliție" (police) derives from the Greek polis (city-state), denoting its role to maintain public order and enforce city laws.
Russianполиция
The word "полиция" in Russian derives from the Greek word "politeia", meaning "citizenship" or "civil government".
Serbianполиција
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".
Slovakpolícia
The Slovak word "polícia" comes from the Latin word "politia" meaning "government" or "administration".
Slovenianpolicijo
"Policijo" comes from the German word "Polizei," derived from the Latin "politia," meaning "civil government or administration."
Ukrainianміліція
The word "міліція" (police) in Ukrainian comes from the Latin word "militia", meaning "military" or "citizen soldiery."

Police in South Asian Languages

Bengaliপুলিশ
The Bengali word "পুলিশ" ("police") is derived from the Persian word "پوليس" ("police"), which in turn originated from the Greek word "πόλις" ("city").
Gujaratiપોલીસ
The Gujarati word "પોલીસ" is a borrowing of the English word "police", which is derived from the Greek word "polis" meaning 'city'.
Hindiपुलिस
Derived from the Greek 'polis' meaning city, 'police' initially referred to the citizens of a city and their civic duties.
Kannadaಪೊಲೀಸ್
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".
Malayalamപോലീസ്
The word "പോലീസ്" derives from the Greek word "polis," meaning "city," and was adopted into Malayalam to refer to the local police force.
Marathiपोलिस
The word "पोलिस" is derived from the Greek word "πόλις" (polis), meaning "city-state" or "community".
Nepaliपुलिस
The word "पुलिस" is derived from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "the affairs of the city."
Punjabiਪੁਲਿਸ
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.
Sinhala (Sinhalese)පොලිසිය
පොලිසිය has a root meaning 'policy' and is cognate to "policy" in English and "police" in European languages.
Tamilகாவல்
Teluguపోలీసులు
"పోలీసులు" (police) is derived from the Greek word "politeia," meaning "citizenship" or "city-state."
Urduپولیس
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."

Police in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)警察
警察 originated as a term for night watchmen in Song dynasty China, and its characters mean "to control" and "to see".
Chinese (Traditional)警察
In Japanese, '警察' can also mean 'law enforcement officer'.
Japanese警察
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".
Korean경찰
The word '경찰' (police) in Korean originates from the Chinese characters '警' meaning 'to warn' and '察' meaning 'to investigate'.
Mongolianцагдаа
"Tsagdaa" derives from the Tibetan "tshak" meaning "troops" and is cognate with the Mandarin Chinese "jià" (家), meaning "family" or "clan".
Myanmar (Burmese)ရဲ
The term

Police in South East Asian Languages

Indonesianpolisi
"Polisi" in Indonesian comes from the Sanskrit "pālisi" (guidance) and can also refer to policy or guidelines.
Javanesepulisi
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.
Khmerប៉ូលីស
The term 'police' in Khmer (ប៉ូលីស) originates from the French word 'police' and also refers to the police force in the country.
Laoຕຳ ຫຼວດ
"ຕຳຫຼວດ" originally meant city guards who guarded the walls surrounding Vientiane before it became the name for police officers.
Malaypolis
The word "polis" in Malay also refers to a city-state in ancient Greece, a political community, or a body of citizens.
Thaiตำรวจ
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.
Vietnamesecảnh sát
The word "cảnh sát" is derived from the Chinese word "jingcha", which means "to investigate and arrest".
Filipino (Tagalog)pulis

Police in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijanipolis
In Azerbaijani,
Kazakhполиция
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".
Kyrgyzполиция
"Полиция" in Kyrgyz means "government". In addition, it can also mean "order", "law", "authority", "jurisprudence", "regulation", "management".
Tajikполис
In Tajik, the word for "police" is "милиция", while "полис" means "insurance policy".
Turkmenpolisiýa
Uzbekpolitsiya
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.
Uyghurساقچىلار

Police in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianmākaʻi
Mākaʻi in Hawaiian means "overseer" or "guardian," with overseers historically tasked with upholding kapu (laws).
Maoripirihimana
Despite meaning 'police' in Maori, 'pirihimana' also refers to an ancient form of weaponry.
Samoanleoleo
The word "leoleo" in Samoan derives from the phrase "le o le o", meaning "voice of the king".
Tagalog (Filipino)pulis
In Tagalog, "pulis" originally meant "to watch over others" and is also closely related to "to awaken."

Police in American Indigenous Languages

Aymarapalla palla
Guaranitahachi

Police in International Languages

Esperantopolico
The Esperanto word "polico" is derived from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city-state".
Latinmagistratus
The Latin word "magistratus" also referred to Roman government officials and magistrates.

Police in Others Languages

Greekαστυνομία
"Αστυνομία" (police) literally means "urban administration" and refers to the organization responsible for the enforcement of laws in urban areas.
Hmongtub ceev xwm
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'.
Kurdishpûlis
The word "pûlis" is derived from the Greek word "polis", meaning "city", and initially referred to the urban guard in the Ottoman Empire.
Turkishpolis
In Turkish, "polis" can also refer to the city-state in ancient Greece (polis).
Xhosamapolisa
The word 'Mapolisa' in Xhosa is derived from the Zulu word 'Omaphoyisa', which means 'those who watch over' or 'peacekeepers'.
Yiddishפאליציי
The word 'פאליציי' comes from the German word 'Polizei', which itself is derived from the Greek word 'politeia', meaning 'citizenship' or 'city-state'.
Zuluamaphoyisa
The Zulu word "amaphoyisa" is derived from the verb "ukubopha," meaning "to catch" or "to arrest"
Assameseআৰক্ষী
Aymarapalla palla
Bhojpuriपुलिस
Dhivehiޕޮލިސް
Dogriपुलस
Filipino (Tagalog)pulis
Guaranitahachi
Ilocanopulis
Kriopolis
Kurdish (Sorani)پۆلیس
Maithiliपुलिस
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯄꯨꯂꯤꯁ
Mizosipai
Oromopoolisii
Odia (Oriya)ପୋଲିସ
Quechuapolicia
Sanskritआरक्षक
Tatarполиция
Tigrinyaፖሊስ
Tsongaphorisa

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