警察犬

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 警察犬 combines 警察, “police,” with 犬, “dog,” and is read けいさつけん.
• Basic usage: It denotes a dog trained for police work such as scent tracking or searching.
  • In 警察犬が地面のにおいをたどって進んだ。, the police dog follows a scent; in 訓練士は警察犬に合図を送った。, the trainer signals the dog.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Reading of 犬
  • 犬 by itself is read いぬ, but in a Sino-Japanese role or category compound such as 警察犬 it is read けん.
• Actor and recipient
  • In 警察犬が進む, the dog is the actor; in 警察犬に合図を送る, it is the recipient of the signal.
• 警察犬 and 番犬
  • 番犬(ばんけん) is a watchdog guarding a home or place, while 警察犬 focuses on a dog trained to perform police duties.