Meaning & use
Koban
Last updated
A small neighborhood police box in Japan, staffed by officers who patrol and assist the local community.
See it in a sentence
Tourists who get lost in Tokyo are often told to ask for directions at the nearest koban.
The koban system is credited with keeping Japan's neighborhood crime rates low.
A note on using this word
The same word also names an oval gold coin used in feudal Japan; the modern policing sense dates from the late 19th century.
Words with a similar meaning
police box
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Another way to use it
2. noun
A historical Japanese gold coin used from the late 16th to the 19th century.
The museum displayed a koban minted during the Edo period.
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