Police & Crime in Chinese 警察和犯罪
jǐngchá hé fànzuì
Police in Chinese is 警察 (jǐng chá).
Also searched for as: police, crime, thief.
Who keeps people safe? 15 essential police & crime words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for police in Chinese is 警察 (jǐng chá), and this vocabulary helps you deal with the moments when something goes wrong, from a stolen phone to an online scam. You'll learn the people involved, such as 小偷 (xiǎo tōu), a thief, and 骗子 (piàn zi), a scammer, and where to go for help: the local 派出所 (pài chū suǒ), police station. It's practical language for travellers and anyone living in a Chinese-speaking city.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 警察 | jǐng chá | police officer |
| 派出所 | pài chū suǒ | police station (local) |
| 犯罪 | fàn zuì | crime |
| 小偷 | xiǎo tōu | thief |
| 偷 | tōu | to steal |
| 抢 | qiǎng | to rob; to snatch |
| 骗子 | piàn zi | con artist; scammer |
| 诈骗 | zhà piàn | fraud; scam |
| 抓 | zhuā | to catch; to arrest |
| 监控 | jiān kòng | CCTV |
| 证人 | zhèng rén | witness |
| 罚款 | fá kuǎn | fine |
| 违法 | wéi fǎ | illegal |
| 坐牢 | zuò láo | to go to prison |
| 安全 | ān quán | safe |
Usage tips
- The 派出所 is the neighbourhood police station where you report a theft or a lost passport. Reporting a crime there is 报案 (bào àn), while ringing the police is 报警 (bào jǐng).
- 偷 (tōu) is stealing without the victim noticing, while 抢 (qiǎng) involves force or snatching. To say something of yours was stolen, use 被: 我的手机被偷了 (wǒ de shǒu jī bèi tōu le).
- In mainland China you'll see many posters warning about 电信诈骗 (diàn xìn zhà piàn), phone and online fraud, so 诈骗 and 骗子 are words you'll meet often in public places.
Common mistakes
- Saying 他偷了我 for "he robbed me", which means "he stole me" → the stolen thing is the object: 他偷了我的钱包 (tā tōu le wǒ de qián bāo), he stole my wallet.
- Mixing up 抓 (zhuā), to catch, and 找 (zhǎo), to look for: 警察在找他 means the police are looking for him → if they've caught him, say 警察抓住了他 (jǐng chá zhuā zhù le tā).
Mini dialogue
- A你怎么了？看起来很着急。Nǐ zěn me le? Kàn qǐ lai hěn zháo jí.What's wrong? You look worried.
- B我的手机被偷了！可能是在地铁上。Wǒ de shǒu jī bèi tōu le! Kě néng shì zài dì tiě shang.My phone's been stolen! Probably on the metro.
- A别着急，地铁里有监控。我们去派出所报案吧。Bié zháo jí, dì tiě li yǒu jiān kòng. Wǒ men qù pài chū suǒ bào àn ba.Don't worry, there's CCTV on the metro. Let's go and report it at the police station.
- B好，希望警察能抓住小偷。Hǎo, xī wàng jǐng chá néng zhuā zhù xiǎo tōu.OK, I hope the police can catch the thief.
Example sentences
- 有问题找警察。Ask the police if there's a problem.
- 我去派出所报案。I'm going to report it at the police station.
- 这个城市犯罪很少。There's very little crime in this city.
- 小偷偷了我的手机。A thief stole my phone.
- 他偷了一辆自行车。He stole a bike.
- 有人抢了她的包。Someone snatched her bag.
- 小心电话骗子。Watch out for phone scammers.
- 这是网络诈骗。This is an online scam.
- 警察抓住了小偷。The police caught the thief.
- 街上到处都有监控。There's CCTV everywhere on the streets.
- 你是证人吗？Are you a witness?
- 乱停车要罚款。Parking illegally gets you a fine.
- 这样做是违法的。Doing that is illegal.
- 他坐了三年牢。He spent three years in prison.
- 这里晚上很安全。It's safe here at night.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Police & crime speaking island has 8 everyday questions about police & crime to prepare your own answers to.