警察|けいさつkeisatsu[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounpolice
   その場合ばあいには警察けいさつを呼よびなさい。↗

   In that case, call the police.
2. nounpolice officer
3. nounpolice station
4. noun (suffix)self-appointed enforcer (of a rule, standard, etc.); busybody; vigilante; gatekeeper

• Synonym警官けいかんNeutralRefers to an individual officer, as in 「警官が駆けつける」; 「警察」 usually means the force or organization as a whole.
• SynonymおまわりさんCasualAn affectionate way to refer to a patrol officer; the word children use, common in everyday conversation.
• Synonym官憲かんけんWrittenWritten/formal prose for the authorities or security officials; often carries an oppressive, heavy-handed nuance.
• Synonym警察官けいさつかんFormalThe formal, full name for a civil servant who performs police duties; mostly seen in laws and news reports.
• SynonymポリスCasualColloquial loanword for the police or an officer; mostly used in compounds like 「ポリスマン」, rarely on its own in daily speech.
• Synonym警察署けいさつしょNeutralA specific police station as an office, e.g. 「最寄りの警察署」; use it for the facility rather than the force as a whole.
• SynonymおまわりCasualColloquial term for an individual officer, essentially 「お巡りさん」 without the 「さん」. Quite casual, and can sound disrespectful.
• Synonymその筋そのすじCasualA colloquial euphemism for 'the authorities', usually hinting at the police, as in 「その筋に通報する」.
• Synonym警察当局けいさつとうきょくFormalFormal term for the police leadership that directs investigations; typical of news reporting.
• RelatedさつCasualSlang for the police with an underworld flavor; very casual, and usually written 「サツ」.
• Related署しょNeutralShort for a police station (or other government office), as in 「署に連行する」 or 「〇〇署」; also common in news reports.

Use 「警察」 as the default for the police as an organization. For an individual officer, say 「警官」 (or the formal 「警察官」). 「お巡りさん」 is the friendly everyday term, 「お巡り」 a rougher one. Name a specific station with 「警察署」 or short 「署」; news reports use 「警察当局」, and street slang is 「サツ」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 国民こくみんの生命せいめい・財産ざいさんを守まもり、社会しゃかいの安全あんぜん・秩序ちつじょを保たもつため、犯罪はんざい等とうの防止ぼうし・取り締とりしまりを行おこなう行政ぎょうせい機能きのう又またはその機関きかん組織そしき。