Tiếng Việt · Word Attested

công an

[kəwŋ͡m˧˧ ʔaːn˧˧]

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) public security

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

an ninh công cộng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used Toàn quốc & hải ngoại · Vietnam-wide & diaspora

đồn công anpublic security station

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sources & notes

Imported from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); community review pending. source ↗

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

(noun) public security (law enforcement) officer

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

nhân viên an ninh công cộng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

nhờ công an chỉ đườngto ask a public security officer for directions

Wiktionary example (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What does “công an” mean?

(noun) public security

Is “công an” formal or informal?

công an is generally informal.

What is the closest equivalent?

“cảnh sát” (Tiếng Việt) — same word, different era.