cảnh sát

Sino-Vietnamese word from 警察, from Japanese 警察 (keisatsu, “police”)

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [kajŋ̟˧˩ saːt̚˧˦]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [kɛɲ˧˨ ʂaːk̚˦˧˥]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [kan˨˩˦ ʂaːk̚˦˥] ~ [kan˨˩˦ saːk̚˦˥]

cảnh sát

1. (chiefly law, as a branch of the law enforcement forces, rare in the common parlance outside of fixed compounds in Vietnam, commonly used to refer to the police elsewhere) the police

   cảnh sát giao thông

   the traffic police

2. a police officer

• (police officer): phí lít (slang, dated)

• công an