cảnh sát
Vietnamese edit
Etymology edit
Sino-Vietnamese word from 警察, from Japanese 警察 (keisatsu, “police”).
Pronunciation edit
- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [kajŋ̟˧˩ saːt̚˧˦]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [kɛɲ˧˨ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥] ~ [kɛɲ˧˨ saːk̚˦˧˥]
- (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA(key): [kan˨˩˦ ʂaːk̚˦˥] ~ [kan˨˩˦ saːk̚˦˥]
Noun edit
- (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 edit
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.