憲けん兵ぺい

け

ん

ぺ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

Refers to the military police force, especially in historical contexts such as the Imperial Japanese Army's Kempeitai. In modern contexts, may refer to military police in general.

戦せん時じ中ちゅう、憲けん兵ぺいが町まちの治ち安あんを維い持じしていた。
During the war, the military police maintained public order in the town.
彼かれは憲けん兵ぺい隊たいに所しょ属ぞくしている。
He belongs to the military police corps.

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Usage patterns

憲兵けんぺいに〈人ひと〉〉を逮捕たいほされるto be arrested by the military police
彼かれはスパイの疑うたがいで憲けん兵ぺいに逮たい捕ほされた。
He was arrested by the military police on suspicion of being a spy.
憲兵けんぺいが〈場所ばしょ〉〉を巡回じゅんかいするfor military police to patrol a place
憲けん兵ぺいが駅えきの周しゅう辺へんを巡じゅん回かいしていた。
Military police were patrolling around the station.

Kanji

憲constitution, law
兵soldier, private, troops

Related words

警けい察さつN4
警察 is the ordinary civilian police force, while 憲兵 refers specifically to military police who enforce discipline within the armed forces.
ＭＰ
憲兵 is the general Japanese word for military police (often historical or domestic forces), while ＭＰ usually refers specifically to US military police.

Don't confuse with

民みん兵ぺい
憲兵 (military police) and 民兵 (militia/militiaman) both end in 兵 and sound similar, but 憲兵 enforces military law within a regular army while 民兵 is a citizen force outside it.

Word family

憲けん兵ぺい隊たい
military police corps; regiment of military policemen

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 憲兵 (xiànbīng, 'military police'), composed of 憲 ('law, regulation') and 兵 ('soldier'). The term was adopted in Japanese to refer to the military police force, particularly the Kempeitai of the Imperial Japanese Army.