công an

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 公安.

Pronunciation

Noun

công an

  1. public security

Usage notes

  • While công an refers to the police force in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, equivalent institutions outside of Vietnam and the People's Republic of China are usually referred to as cảnh sát.
  • công an has a generalizing connotation, and an almost informal tone to it. A specific-purpose division of the police is officially referred to as cảnh sát. E.g.: cảnh sát giao thông (traffic police); cảnh sát phòng cháy chữa cháy (fire-preventing and firefighting police).

See also

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