King, chief or emir; the ruler of a Hausa town or state. Robinson glosses sarki (pl. sarakuna) as 'king, chief', adding that 'in Hausaland every town and village has its king'. The title also heads many offices, such as sarkin musulmi (the Sultan of Sokoto), sarkin dawaki (master of the horse) and sarkin kasuwa (head of the market).
The sarki received the titleholders at his palace.