What it means
کارآگاه (kârâgâh) means detective or investigator. It is a native Persian compound: کار (kâr) means work or affair, and آگاه (âgâh) means aware or informed, from the Middle Persian root. So کارآگاه is literally one who is informed about affairs, describing a person who gathers information to solve problems or crimes. The word is used for both police detectives (کارآگاه پلیس) and private investigators, and it is also the standard translation for fictional detectives like Sherlock Holmes in Persian. A related word is بازرس (bâzras), which means inspector and leans more toward formal administrative or police inspection rather than investigative work.
How to use it
- یه کارآگاه خصوصی استخدام کرد. (Ye kârâgâh-e khosusi estekhdam kard.) “He hired a private detective.”
- کارآگاهها مظنون رو تعقیب کردن. (Kârâgâhhâ maznun ro ta-qib kardan.) “The detectives tailed the suspect.”
- توی این سریال نقش کارآگاه رو بازی میکنه. (Tu-ye in seriyal naqsh-e kârâgâh ro bâzi mikone.) “He plays the role of a detective in this series.”
- کارآگاه مدرک جدیدی پیدا کرد. (Kârâgâh madrak-e jadidi peydâ kard.) “The detective found new evidence.”
Cultural note
Crime fiction, called ادبیات جنایی (adabiyât-e janâ-i) in Persian, has a devoted readership in Iran, and کارآگاه is the hero of the genre. Classic detective characters from Western fiction, including Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, and Philip Marlowe, are well known to Iranian readers through translation. Iranian television has also produced its own detective dramas, making کارآگاه a familiar figure in popular culture. The word never carries the slang or negative connotations that words like خبرچین (khabarchin, snitch) do.