If you're traveling in Germany, watching a crime show, or just trying to stay safe, one word you'll absolutely need is Polizei. This is the German word for “police,” and it’s one of the 1000 most frequently used nouns in German. Whether you're asking for help, reporting a crime, or simply identifying a police car zooming by, knowing how to use Polizei in German is fundamental for navigating real-life situations.
The word Polizei is feminine—die Polizei—and unlike English, it almost always refers to the institution or collective force, not an individual officer. If you're talking about a single person, you’d say Polizist (male officer) or Polizistin (female officer). (Still unsure when to use der, die, or das? Our short video lesson on gender makes it all finally click, no grammar headaches required.)
Pronounced po-lee-TSIGH, it’s easy to remember once you've heard it in a siren-blaring context. What’s especially interesting is how it’s used differently in German than in English. You wouldn’t normally say “a police” as in “I saw a police at the station.” In German, die Polizei stays singular and collective—so you'd say Ich habe die Polizei gerufen (I called the police), not Ich habe eine Polizei gesehen.
There isn’t a true opposite to Polizei, but it might help to contrast it with der Verbrecher (criminal), das Verbrechen (crime), or die Kriminalität (criminal activity), depending on what you're trying to express. You’ll also find this word showing up in combinations like Polizeiwache (police station), Polizeiauto (police car), and Polizeigewalt (police violence), depending on the tone and topic.
In everyday conversation and media, Polizei is often loaded with connotations—respect, authority, but also sometimes fear or controversy, especially in discussions around policy or abuse. It shows up in classic German sayings like “Mit der Polizei ist nicht zu spaßen” (You don’t mess around with the police), which is something tourists might hear when they unknowingly break a minor rule.
Example Sentences
Die Polizei kam fünf Minuten nach dem Notruf.
The police arrived five minutes after the emergency call.
Ich habe Angst, dass die Polizei mich anhält.
I’m afraid the police will pull me over.
Die Polizei untersucht den Tatort sehr gründlich.
The police are investigating the crime scene thoroughly.
Beginner Dialogue
Mia: Wo ist die nächste Polizeiwache?
Alex: Gleich um die Ecke, neben der Bank.
Translation
Mia: Where’s the nearest police station?
Alex: Just around the corner, next to the bank.
Duden entry:
https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Polizei
Ready for more?
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Viel Erfolg beim Deutschlernen – and keep building confidence with words like Polizei in German.