Japanese word

警察官

Pronunciation

Romajikeisatsukan

Meaning

  • nounpolice officer

Example

警察官に名前を聞かれました。kei satsu kan ni na mae o ki ka re ma shi ta

A police officer asked for my name.

Illustration for 警察官 (police officer)

More examples

学校の前に警察官がいます。gak kō no mae ni kei satsu kan ga i ma su

There is a police officer in front of the school.

落とし物を見つけたら、警察官に届けます。o to shi mono o mi tsu ke ta ra kei satsu kan ni todo ke ma su

If I find something that someone has lost, I will turn it in to a police officer.

Core concept

Refers to a public official whose work involves enforcing the law and protecting public safety.

Common phrases

  • 警察官になるkei satsu kan ni na ru

    become a police officer

  • 警察官に聞くkei satsu kan ni ki ku

    ask a police officer

  • 警察官を見かけるkei satsu kan o mi ka ke ru

    spot a police officer

Similar words

警官keikan: A common shortened term for a police officer.
お巡りさんomawarisan: A familiar, informal term for a police officer used in everyday conversation.

Definition in Japanese

犯罪の防止や捜査、交通整理などに当たる公務員。han zai no bō shi ya sō sa kō tsū sei ri na do ni a ta ru kō mu in

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 警察官 (keisatsukan) combines 警 (kei, "warn") and 察 (satsu, "inspect") to form 警察 (keisatsu, "police"), plus 官 (kan, "official").

Usage tips

  • In modern English, police officer is gender-neutral, while policeman and policewoman identify the officer's gender.

Other meanings

  • policemannoun
  • policewomannoun

Word lists with this word