What it means
رهبر (rahbar) is a pure Persian word built from two elements: rah (road, path) and bar (bearer, carrier). Together they give you “the one who carries you along the path,” that is, a guide or leader. The word applies broadly to any leader, from a classroom teacher to a political figure, but in contemporary Iran it also functions as the official title for the Rahbar-e Enghelab (Leader of the Revolution), the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. A close near-synonym is pishva, which carries a more ideological or prophetic tone, while rahbar stays the neutral, everyday term for leadership.
How to use it
- او رهبر خوبیه. (u rahbar-e khubi-ye.) “He is a good leader.”
- رهبر از تهران سخنرانی کرد. (rahbar az tehrân sokhanrâni kard.) “The Supreme Leader gave a speech from Tehran.”
- به دنبال یه رهبر قوی هستیم. (be donbâl-e ye rahbar-e qavi hastim.) “We are looking for a strong leader.”
- رهبر تیم باید همه رو هماهنگ کنه. (rahbar-e tim bâyad hame ro hamâhang kone.) “The team leader needs to coordinate everyone.”
Cultural note
In the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the position of Rahbar (ولی فقیه, vali-ye faqih) sits above the presidency and all other elected offices. The title was held by Ayatollah Khomeini from 1979 until his death in 1989, and has been held by Ayatollah Khamenei since then. When Iranians use the word in a political context without further qualification, it almost always refers to the incumbent Supreme Leader, making rahbar one of those ordinary words that carries enormous institutional weight inside Iran.