The digits 0–10
Eastern Arabic digits (١٢٣…) are used across most Arab countries — Western digits (123) appear in the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and in many technical contexts. Learn both to read prices and times.
| Digit | Arabic word | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ٠ | صفر | ṣifr | zero |
| ١ | واحد | wāḥid | one |
| ٢ | اثنان | ithnān | two |
| ٣ | ثلاثة | thalātha | three |
| ٤ | أربعة | arbaʿa | four |
| ٥ | خمسة | khamsa | five |
| ٦ | ستة | sitta | six |
| ٧ | سبعة | sabʿa | seven |
| ٨ | ثمانية | thamāniya | eight |
| ٩ | تسعة | tisʿa | nine |
| ١٠ | عشرة | ʿashara | ten |
Three through ten: the word ends in -a — ثلاثة, أربعة, خمسة — a small regularity worth noticing.
Teens, tens, and prices
| Number | Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ١١ | أحد عشر | aḥada ʿashar | eleven |
| ١٢ | اثنا عشر | ithnā ʿashar | twelve |
| ١٣ | ثلاثة عشر | thalāthat ʿashar | thirteen |
| ٢٠ | عشرون | ʿishrūn | twenty |
| ٢١ | واحد وعشرون | wāḥid wa-ʿishrūn | twenty-one — 'one and twenty' |
| ٣٠ | ثلاثون | thalāthūn | thirty |
| ٥٠ | خمسون | khamsūn | fifty |
| ١٠٠ | مائة | miʾa | one hundred |
| ١٠٠٠ | ألف | alf | one thousand |
Compound numbers read 'X and the tens': ٢١ = واحد وعشرون 'one-and-twenty'. At beginner level this covers prices, floors, and dates.
Telling time
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| كم الساعة؟ | kam as-sāʿa | what time is it? |
| الساعة الثالثة | as-sāʿa th-thālitha | three o'clock |
| الساعة الخامسة والنصف | as-sāʿa l-khāmisa wa-n-niṣf | five thirty — 'and the half' |
| الساعة الثانية والربع | as-sāʿa th-thāniya wa-r-rubʿ | quarter past two |
| الساعة العاشرة إلا ربعا | as-sāʿa l-ʿāshira illā rubʿan | quarter to ten — 'minus a quarter' |
| الآن | al-ān | now |
| اليوم | al-yawm | today |
| غدا | ghadan | tomorrow |
| أمس | ams | yesterday |
| صباحًا | ṣabāḥan | in the morning |
| مساءً | masāʾan | in the evening |
النصف 'the half' and الربع 'the quarter' do the work: X والنصف = half past X, X إلا ربعا = quarter to X.
The days of the week
| Day | Transliteration | English | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| يوم الأحد | yawm al-aḥad | Sunday | 'day one' |
| يوم الاثنين | yawm al-ithnayn | Monday | 'day two' |
| يوم الثلاثاء | yawm ath-thulāthāʾ | Tuesday | — |
| يوم الأربعاء | yawm al-arbiʿāʾ | Wednesday | — |
| يوم الخميس | yawm al-khamīs | Thursday | — |
| يوم الجمعة | yawm al-jumʿa | Friday | the communal prayer day — weekend |
| يوم السبت | yawm as-sabt | Saturday | weekend with الجمعة |
The week starts on Sunday; Friday–Saturday is the weekend across most of the Arab world.
Mini practice
Q1. ٧ stands for:
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 9
Answer: 7
Q2. واحد وعشرون means:
- 11
- 12
- 21
- 120
Answer: 21
Q3. الساعة الخامسة والنصف means:
- five fifteen
- five thirty
- five forty-five
- six o'clock
Answer: five thirty
Q4. يوم الجمعة is:
- Monday
- Thursday
- Friday — the weekend prayer day
- Sunday
Answer: Friday — the weekend prayer day
Q5. مائة means:
- ten
- one hundred
- one thousand
- first
Answer: one hundred
