Ways to say it
| Urdu | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| رَہْنُما | rahnumā | masculine |
| لِیڈَر | līḍar | masculine |
| اِمام | imām | masculine |
| سَرْدار | sardār | masculine |
| رَہْبَر | rahbar | masculine |
| قائِد | qāid | masculine |
| رَئِیس | raīs | masculine |
| پیشْوا | peśvā | masculine |
The term leader refers to someone who possesses authority.
What does it mean word for word?
The word رَہْنُما (rahnumā) is composed of the Persian root 'rah' (path) and the suffix 'numā' (showing/indicating), literally meaning 'one who shows the path'.
Which one should you use?
While رَہْنُما is a general term, other forms are more specific: اِمام (imām) specifically refers to a religious leader or one who leads prayer in a mosque. رَئِیس (raīs) is used for structural or administrative leaders like a president or a company chief. قائِد (qāid) denotes a great or historical leader, such as a founding father. And سَرْدار (sardār) typically refers to a military leader, a chieftain or someone of high rank in a traditional hierarchy.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
rahnumā
Did you know?
- The word رَئِیس (raīs) is used for company chiefs and is a cognate of the Arabic word for 'head' or 'chief', which also influenced terms in Swahili.
- The word قائِد (qāid) is famously inseparable from the title of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who is known as قائِدِ اعظم (qāid-e-ā'zam), meaning 'the great leader'.
- The word لِیڈَر (leader) is a direct loanword from English and is frequently used in modern Urdu, especially in the context of business, sports, or casual conversation.
Examples in context
- وہ ایک اچھا رَہْنُما ہے۔woh aik achha rahnuma hai.He is a good leader.
- ہمیں ایک بہادر رَہْنُما کی ضرورت ہے۔humein aik bahadur rahnuma ki zaroorat hai.We need a brave leader.
- رَہْنُما نے ہمیں صحیح راستہ دکھایا۔rahnuma ne humein sahi rasta dikhaya.The leader showed us the right way.
Example conversation
Sara and Ahmed are discussing a community project.
- سارہ Saraکیا احمد ایک اچھا رَہْنُما ہے؟kya Ahmed aik achha rahnuma hai?Is Ahmed a good leader?
- احمد Ahmedہاں، احمد ایک بہت اچھا رَہْنُما ہے۔haan, Ahmed aik bahut achha rahnuma hai.Yes, Ahmed is a very good leader.
- سارہ Saraوہ سب کی مدد کرتا ہے۔woh sab ki madad karta hai.He helps everyone.
- احمد Ahmedبالکل، وہ سب کا احترام کرتا ہے۔bilkul, woh sab ka ehtiram karta hai.Exactly, he respects everyone.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “leader” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
