cảnh sát

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 警察, from Japanese 警察 (keisatsu, “police”).

Pronunciation

(Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kajŋ̟˧˩ saːt̚˧˦]
(Huế) IPA^(key): [kɛɲ˧˨ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥] ~ [kɛɲ˧˨ saːk̚˦˧˥]
(Saigon) IPA^(key): [kan˨˩˦ ʂaːk̚˦˥] ~ [kan˨˩˦ saːk̚˦˥]

Noun

cảnh sát

(Overseas Vietnamese or chiefly law) the police
(only in compounds) police
cảnh sát phòng cháy / chữa cháy ― the firefighting "police"; fireperson; firefighter

đồn cảnh sát ― police station

xe cảnh sát ― police car
(only in compounds) a police officer
Synonym: phí lít (slang, dated)

cảnh sát trưởng ― an American sheriff

Usage notes

In Vietnam, law enforcement forces and officers of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China are referred to as công an (“public security”) but rarely as cảnh sát in common parlance outside of fixed compounds. Equivalent institutions in other countries are referred to as cảnh sát, both by speakers in Vietnam and overseas. Cảnh sát also refers to various branches of the public security forces in Vietnam.