karar

Karar is a term used in Turkish, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kazakh, and other Turkic languages to denote a formal decision, resolution, or verdict issued by a governing body, court, council, or administrative authority. The word also appears in Persian and Arabic loanword forms; in Arabic script قرار means decision or decree, and in Turkic languages it is commonly written as karar or qaror, depending on orthography. The meaning covers decisions made in legal proceedings, policy determinations, and organizational rules.

Etymology and usage history trace the term to the Arabic قرار (qarār), meaning settlement or establishment, which entered Persian and Turkic languages through historical contact. In modern usage, karar retains the sense of an official conclusion or binding determination issued by an authorized body.

In law and governance, karar is widely used to describe court decisions, legislative resolutions, and administrative orders. Turkish examples include court kararları (court decisions) and belediye kararları (municipal resolutions); kararname or kararname ile ilgili phrases may refer to decrees or formal written decisions. In Azerbaijani and Uzbek, similar forms are qaror and qarorlar, serving the same function in legal and governmental documents. The term appears in official texts, court rulings, and organizational regulations across Turkic-language administrations.

Other uses include Karar as a personal name in Turkish-speaking communities and, less commonly, as a surname. The term may also appear in place names or organizational titles, reflecting its broad association with formal authority and decision-making in Turkic-speaking regions.

See also: decision, decree, verdict, resolution.