What it means
حاکم (hâkem) is borrowed from Arabic, where it is the active participle of the root ح-ک-م (h-k-m), the root underlying judgment, governance, and wisdom. In Persian legal usage it refers to a judge or presiding magistrate in a court. A useful contrast is قاضی (qâzi), the more common everyday word for judge. Where qâzi emphasizes the role of rendering a verdict in Islamic jurisprudence, hâkem often carries the sense of someone who presides, governs, or holds authority over a proceeding or territory. Outside the courtroom, hâkem can also mean a ruler or governor.
How to use it
- حاکم دادگاه حکم رو اعلام کرد. (hâkem-e dâdgâh hokm ro elâm kard.) “The presiding judge announced the ruling.”
- حاکم از هر دو طرف سوال کرد. (hâkem az har do taraf soâl kard.) “The magistrate questioned both sides.”
- در اون دوران حاکم شهر خودش قانون بود. (dar un dorân hâkem-e shahr khodash qânun bud.) “In that era, the city’s ruler was the law himself.”
- حاکم بیطرف باید باشه. (hâkem bitaraf bâyad bâshe.) “A judge must be impartial.”
Cultural note
The Arabic root ح-ک-م is one of the most productive roots in the Persian legal and political vocabulary, giving rise to حکم (hokm, ruling or decree), حکومت (hokumat, government), and محکمه (mahkame, tribunal). The word hâkem appears frequently in classical Persian literature with the meaning of ruler or sovereign, so modern legal contexts sometimes feel slightly archaic or formal compared to qâzi. In contemporary Persian courts, the term قاضی is the standard title for a judge, while hâkem is more often encountered in historical texts, formal writing, and references to regional governors.