رئیس

What it means

رئیس (ra’is) means boss, chief, head, or president of an organization. It entered Persian from Arabic, where the root ر-أ-س (r-‘-s) means head, both the body part and the person at the top of a group. In Persian the word covers a wide range: رئیس جمهور (ra’is-e jomhur) is the president of the country, رئیس دانشگاه (ra’is-e dâneshgâh) is the university president, and رئیس (ra’is) on its own, in daily conversation, usually means your direct boss or manager. The word is neutral in register and usable at all levels of formality. A close synonym is مدیر (modir, director or manager), which tends toward administrative roles, while رئیس implies more direct authority or seniority.

How to use it

• رئیسم گفت باید بمونم (ra’is-am goft bâyad bemunam) “My boss said I have to stay.”
• با رئیس قرار گذاشتم (bâ ra’is gharâr gozâshtam) “I made an appointment with the boss.”
• اون رئیس جدید شرکته (un ra’is-e jadid-e sherkat-e) “She is the company’s new chief.”
• رئیس دانشگاه یه اطلاعیه داد (ra’is-e dâneshgâh ye ettelâ’ie dâd) “The university president issued an announcement.”

Cultural note

In Iranian workplace culture, addressing or referring to the رئیس carries social weight. Calling someone آقای رئیس (Mr. Boss) directly, rather than by name, is a mark of formality and deference that Iranians navigate carefully depending on the relationship. In contrast, calling someone رئیسم with a possessive suffix (“my boss”) in a conversation among friends is perfectly casual and even slightly humorous, suggesting the speaker is mildly at the mercy of their supervisor.

References

• Dehkhoda
• Vajehyab