Korean Dictionary
How to say "Police" in Korean
“Police” in Korean is 경찰 (pronounced "Gyeongchal").
경찰
Gyeongchal
Usage & Context
Law enforcement officers who maintain public order and investigate crimes. The Korean National Police Agency oversees police operations throughout South Korea.
Example Sentence
경찰이 도움을 주었습니다.
The police helped.
How to use 경찰 naturally
Quick answer
The Korean word for “Police” is 경찰, romanized as Gyeongchal.
Usage tip
Learn this word together with a complete Korean sentence. Meaning often depends on particles, politeness level, and word order.
Common mistake
Do not rely only on the English meaning. Read the Korean example sentence and notice the particles, word order, and politeness level around 경찰.
Pronunciation Guide
Pronounced 'gyeong-chal'. Two syllables: 'gyeong' (a 'gy' glide into 'young' minus the 'y'), 'chal' (aspirated 'chahl').
More Example Sentences
reporting incident
경찰에 신고했어요.
I reported it to the police.
positive encounter
경찰관이 친절하게 도와줬어요.
The police officer kindly helped me.
observation
경찰차가 지나갔어요.
A police car passed by.
Cultural Context
경찰 refers to the police force collectively or an individual officer. The formal honorific is 경찰관 or 경찰 아저씨 (police uncle). Emergency number is 112. 파출소 (small police stations) dot every neighborhood — you can walk in for help. Korea's '현금 잃어버려도 돌아온다' (lost cash gets returned) is partly credited to vigilant local 경찰 culture.
Editorial note
We review entries like 경찰 for pronunciation, example sentence fit, and learner mistakes so the page answers more than a direct dictionary lookup.
Reviewed by Min-jung Park, Korean Language Teacher. Updated May 31, 2026. See our editorial standards.
Common Phrases
경찰에 신고하세요.
Call the police.
경찰서가 어디예요?
Where is the police station?
경찰 도와 주세요.
Police, please help!
Related Expressions
경찰관
gyeongchalgwan
police officer
파출소
pachulso
neighborhood police box
형사
hyeongsa
detective
신고
singo
to report (to authorities)
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