How do you say "Please call the police" in Chinese?

"Please call the police" in Chinese is 请叫警察。 — written in pinyin as Qǐng jiào jǐngchá. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.

What does 请叫警察。 mean in Chinese?

请叫警察。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá) means "Please call the police". Broken down word by word: 请 (qǐng) means "please"; 叫 (jiào) means "to call"; 警察 (jǐngchá) means "police".

When would you use "Please call the police" in Chinese?

You say it when something illegal has happened to you — a theft, a pickpocket, an assault, or a driver who will not settle after an accident. Say it to hotel staff, a shop assistant or a station attendant rather than to a passer-by: they can place the call and can tell the operator where you are.

How to say “Please call the police” in Chinese

“Please call the police” in Chinese is 请叫警察。, written in pinyin as Qǐng jiào jǐngchá.

请叫警察。

Qǐng jiào jǐngchá.

Please call the police.

Word by word

What each part of 请叫警察。 actually means.

请qǐngplease
叫jiàoto call
警察jǐngchápolice

When you use it

You say it when something illegal has happened to you — a theft, a pickpocket, an assault, or a driver who will not settle after an accident.
Say it to hotel staff, a shop assistant or a station attendant rather than to a passer-by: they can place the call and can tell the operator where you are.

Use 请叫警察。 in emergency situations. Get help fast: police, doctor, lost and allergies.

Other ways people say it

The same idea, said differently. Roughly in the order you'll hear them.

打 110！
Dǎ yāo yāo líng!
Call 110!
The number by itself is an instruction, and every adult in China knows it. 一 is read yāo on the phone, so it carries over a noisy line.
我要报警。
Wǒ yào bàojǐng
I want to report a crime.
What you say once the call connects, or to a staff member who asks what you need. 报警 is the standard verb for calling the police.
我需要报案证明。
Wǒ xūyào bào'àn zhèngmíng
I need a copy of the police report.
Ask for it before you leave the station. Travel insurers usually want written proof that a report was filed, and it is issued on the spot.

What usually trips people up

110 is the police, 120 the ambulance and 119 the fire service. Dialling the wrong one is not a disaster because the operators transfer you, but naming the right number gets you there faster.
On the phone 一 is read yāo, not yī. That is why 110 comes out as yāo-yāo-líng and 120 as yāo-èr-líng — and why a number shouted over traffic is still understood.
Police in China take identification from the person reporting. Carry your passport, and for anything involving a hotel room or an insured item keep the registration slip or the receipt with it.

What you might hear back

好的，马上到。Hǎo de, mǎshàng dàoOK, we're on our way.
请说地址。Qǐng shuō dìzhǐPlease give the address.
出了什么事？Chū le shénme shì?What happened?

Common questions

How do you say "Please call the police" in Chinese?: "Please call the police" in Chinese is 请叫警察。 — written in pinyin as Qǐng jiào jǐngchá. It is an emergency phrase you would use in China.
What does 请叫警察。 mean in Chinese?: 请叫警察。 (Qǐng jiào jǐngchá) means "Please call the police". Broken down word by word: 请 (qǐng) means "please"; 叫 (jiào) means "to call"; 警察 (jǐngchá) means "police".
When would you use "Please call the police" in Chinese?: You say it when something illegal has happened to you — a theft, a pickpocket, an assault, or a driver who will not settle after an accident. Say it to hotel staff, a shop assistant or a station attendant rather than to a passer-by: they can place the call and can tell the operator where you are.

More Emergency phrases

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