Know the right words to use when speaking to the police in Japanese

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Know the right words to use when speaking to the police in Japanese

Lead the way: Police boxes are a part of Japan's community policing efforts, with officers standing outside the small buildings 24 hours a day. | GETTY IMAGES

By Tadasu Takahashi
Contributing writer

Jul 16, 2021

Osaka – Imagine it’s late at night and you just got off the train, ready to head home. You go to the bike rack, pull out your bicycle, hop on and start pedaling. The night breeze is refreshing, and you know you’ll be home in no time.

Then, you get flagged down by the 警察 (keisatsu, police).

自転車の窃盗は、窃盗の中でも特に多い犯罪の一つ (Jitensha no settō wa, settō no naka demo toku ni ōi hanzai no hitotsu, As for bicycle theft, among thefts [in Japan] it is one of the most common crimes), so if you get stopped by a 警官 (keikan, police officer), it could be nothing more than a mildly annoying check to see if your 登録シール (tōroku shīru, registration seal) matches the information on your ID.