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Arabic numbers for beginners

Arabic numbers for beginners

Arabic Numbers for Beginners: Learn Numbers from 1 to 100

Learning numbers is an essential step for anyone studying Arabic. Whether you want to tell your age, understand prices, discuss dates, give phone numbers, or communicate during travel, knowing Arabic numbers will make everyday conversations much easier.

For beginners, Arabic numbers may seem challenging at first because some numbers change depending on the gender of the noun they describe. However, with regular practice and a clear understanding of the basic patterns, you can learn to recognize and use them confidently.

In this guide, you will learn Arabic numbers from 1 to 100, how to pronounce them, how to use them in sentences, and some important grammar rules that beginners should know.

Learning numbers is an important part of building a basic Arabic foundation. If you are starting Arabic from scratch, it is helpful to learn numbers alongside pronunciation, vocabulary, reading, writing, and simple communication. Our Arabic for Beginners course provides a structured introduction to these essential skills.

Why Learn Arabic Numbers?

Arabic numbers are used in many everyday situations, including:

  • Saying your age
  • Asking about prices
  • Telling the time
  • Discussing dates and years
  • Giving phone numbers
  • Counting objects
  • Talking about quantities
  • Understanding addresses and room numbers
  • Shopping and traveling

For example, if you visit an Arabic-speaking country, you may need to understand phrases such as:

  • How much does this cost?
  • What time is it?
  • How many students are there?
  • What is your phone number?
  • Which room are you staying in?

Learning Arabic numbers will help you handle these situations more easily.

Arabic numbers become much more useful when you practise them in everyday situations. You can use numbers when talking about your age, asking about prices, discussing time, shopping, making plans, or communicating at work and home. Explore our Arabic for Daily Life guide for more practical Arabic expressions used in common situations.

Arabic Numbers from 0 to 10

Let us begin with the most basic Arabic numbers.

Number

Arabic

Pronunciation

0

صفر

ṣifr

1

واحد

wāḥid

2

اثنان

ithnān

3

ثلاثة

thalātha

4

أربعة

arbaʿa

5

خمسة

khamsa

6

ستة

sitta

7

سبعة

sabʿa

8

ثمانية

thamāniya

9

تسعة

tisʿa

10

عشرة

ʿashara

Examples

  • واحد — one
  • ثلاثة — three
  • خمسة — five
  • عشرة — ten

You can practice by counting everyday objects around you:

  • كتاب واحد — one book
  • ثلاثة أقلام — three pens
  • خمسة كتب — five books

Notice that the form of the noun may change depending on the number. We will explain this later.

Numbers are easier to remember when you learn them together with useful everyday vocabulary. Instead of studying numbers in isolation, practise them with words related to people, objects, food, places, and daily activities. Explore our Arabic Vocabulary for Beginners guide for practical words and expressions that you can combine with Arabic numbers.

Arabic Numbers from 11 to 20

The numbers from 11 to 20 follow a useful pattern. Numbers 11 and 12 have special forms, while numbers 13 to 19 are generally formed using a combination of the units and the word عشرة.

Number

Arabic

Pronunciation

11

أحد عشر

aḥada ʿashar

12

اثنا عشر

ithnā ʿashar

13

ثلاثة عشر

thalāthata ʿashar

14

أربعة عشر

arbaʿata ʿashar

15

خمسة عشر

khamsata ʿashar

16

ستة عشر

sittata ʿashar

17

سبعة عشر

sabʿata ʿashar

18

ثمانية عشر

thamāniyata ʿashar

19

تسعة عشر

tisʿata ʿashar

20

عشرون

ʿishrūn

Examples

  • أحد عشر طالبًا — eleven students
  • اثنا عشر كتابًا — twelve books
  • خمسة عشر يومًا — fifteen days
  • عشرون ريالًا — twenty riyals

In formal Arabic, the exact form of some numbers can change according to grammatical position. Beginners can first focus on recognizing and pronouncing the basic forms.

Arabic Numbers from 21 to 30

Numbers from 21 to 29 are usually formed by combining the unit number with the word عشرون or one of its grammatical forms.

Number

Arabic

Pronunciation

21

واحد وعشرون

wāḥid wa-ʿishrūn

22

اثنان وعشرون

ithnān wa-ʿishrūn

23

ثلاثة وعشرون

thalātha wa-ʿishrūn

24

أربعة وعشرون

arbaʿa wa-ʿishrūn

25

خمسة وعشرون

khamsa wa-ʿishrūn

26

ستة وعشرون

sitta wa-ʿishrūn

27

سبعة وعشرون

sabʿa wa-ʿishrūn

28

ثمانية وعشرون

thamāniya wa-ʿishrūn

29

تسعة وعشرون

tisʿa wa-ʿishrūn

30

ثلاثون

thalāthūn

The word و means “and.” Therefore, 21 literally means “one and twenty.”

Examples

  • واحد وعشرون طالبًا — twenty-one students
  • خمسة وعشرون كتابًا — twenty-five books
  • ثلاثون يومًا — thirty days

Arabic Numbers from 31 to 100

After 30, the same general pattern continues. You combine the unit number with the tens number.

For example:

  • 31 = واحد وثلاثون
  • 42 = اثنان وأربعون
  • 53 = ثلاثة وخمسون
  • 64 = أربعة وستون
  • 75 = خمسة وسبعون
  • 86 = ستة وثمانون
  • 97 = سبعة وتسعون

The structure is:

Unit number + و + tens number

For example:

خمسة وأربعون

This means:

five and forty = forty-five

Arabic Tens from 20 to 100

These are the most important tens to memorize.

Number

Arabic

Pronunciation

20

عشرون

ʿishrūn

30

ثلاثون

thalāthūn

40

أربعون

arbaʿūn

50

خمسون

khamsūn

60

ستون

sittūn

70

سبعون

sabʿūn

80

ثمانون

thamānūn

90

تسعون

tisʿūn

100

مئة / مائة

miʾa

Both مئة and مائة are accepted spellings of the word meaning “one hundred.”

Examples

  • أربعون طالبًا — forty students
  • ستون دقيقة — sixty minutes
  • سبعون كتابًا — seventy books
  • مئة ريال — one hundred riyals

Arabic Numbers from 1 to 100

Here is a complete list of Arabic numbers from 1 to 100.

Number

Arabic

1

واحد

2

اثنان

3

ثلاثة

4

أربعة

5

خمسة

6

ستة

7

سبعة

8

ثمانية

9

تسعة

10

عشرة

11

أحد عشر

12

اثنا عشر

13

ثلاثة عشر

14

أربعة عشر

15

خمسة عشر

16

ستة عشر

17

سبعة عشر

18

ثمانية عشر

19

تسعة عشر

20

عشرون

21

واحد وعشرون

22

اثنان وعشرون

23

ثلاثة وعشرون

24

أربعة وعشرون

25

خمسة وعشرون

26

ستة وعشرون

27

سبعة وعشرون

28

ثمانية وعشرون

29

تسعة وعشرون

30

ثلاثون

31

واحد وثلاثون

32

اثنان وثلاثون

33

ثلاثة وثلاثون

34

أربعة وثلاثون

35

خمسة وثلاثون

36

ستة وثلاثون

37

سبعة وثلاثون

38

ثمانية وثلاثون

39

تسعة وثلاثون

40

أربعون

41

واحد وأربعون

42

اثنان وأربعون

43

ثلاثة وأربعون

44

أربعة وأربعون

45

خمسة وأربعون

46

ستة وأربعون

47

سبعة وأربعون

48

ثمانية وأربعون

49

تسعة وأربعون

50

خمسون

51

واحد وخمسون

52

اثنان وخمسون

53

ثلاثة وخمسون

54

أربعة وخمسون

55

خمسة وخمسون

56

ستة وخمسون

57

سبعة وخمسون

58

ثمانية وخمسون

59

تسعة وخمسون

60

ستون

61

واحد وستون

62

اثنان وستون

63

ثلاثة وستون

64

أربعة وستون

65

خمسة وستون

66

ستة وستون

67

سبعة وستون

68

ثمانية وستون

69

تسعة وستون

70

سبعون

71

واحد وسبعون

72

اثنان وسبعون

73

ثلاثة وسبعون

74

أربعة وسبعون

75

خمسة وسبعون

76

ستة وسبعون

77

سبعة وسبعون

78

ثمانية وسبعون

79

تسعة وسبعون

80

ثمانون

81

واحد وثمانون

82

اثنان وثمانون

83

ثلاثة وثمانون

84

أربعة وثمانون

85

خمسة وثمانون

86

ستة وثمانون

87

سبعة وثمانون

88

ثمانية وثمانون

89

تسعة وثمانون

90

تسعون

91

واحد وتسعون

92

اثنان وتسعون

93

ثلاثة وتسعون

94

أربعة وتسعون

95

خمسة وتسعون

96

ستة وتسعون

97

سبعة وتسعون

98

ثمانية وتسعون

99

تسعة وتسعون

100

مئة

 

Arabic Numbers and Gender

One of the most important features of Arabic numbers is that some numbers change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

For example, the number three is:

  • ثلاثة when used with a masculine noun
  • ثلاث when used with a feminine noun

Examples

  • ثلاثة كتب — three books
  • ثلاث سيارات — three cars

The word كتاب is masculine, so we use ثلاثة.

The word سيارة is feminine, so we use ثلاث.

Numbers 1 and 2

Numbers one and two usually agree with the noun in gender.

Masculine

  • كتاب واحد — one book
  • كتابان اثنان — two books

Feminine

  • سيارة واحدة — one car
  • سيارتان اثنتان — two cars

Numbers 3 to 10

With numbers from 3 to 10, Arabic generally uses the opposite gender form.

Masculine nouns

  • ثلاثة كتب — three books
  • أربعة أقلام — four pens
  • خمسة طلاب — five students

Feminine nouns

  • ثلاث سيارات — three cars
  • أربع طالبات — four female students
  • خمس صفحات — five pages

This rule may seem unusual, but it becomes easier with practice and memorization.

Arabic numbers are closely connected to grammar because the form of some numbers changes according to the gender and grammatical structure of the noun. If you want to understand these patterns in greater detail, our Arabic Grammar Course provides structured practice with Arabic sentence structure, nouns, adjectives, verbs, and other essential grammar topics.

How to Ask About Numbers in Arabic

Here are some useful questions involving numbers.

English

Arabic

How many?

كم؟

How old are you?

كم عمرك؟

How much is this?

كم سعر هذا؟

What time is it?

كم الساعة؟

How many books do you have?

كم كتابًا عندك؟

How many students are there?

كم طالبًا يوجد؟

Examples

كم عمرك؟
How old are you?

عمري عشرون سنة.
I am twenty years old.

كم سعر هذا الكتاب؟
How much is this book?

سعره خمسة ريالات.
Its price is five riyals.

Questions about age, prices, time, and quantities are common in everyday Arabic conversations. Practising these questions and answers can help beginners move from memorizing numbers to actually using them when speaking. Explore our Arabic Conversation for Beginners guide for more practical dialogues and everyday questions.

Using Arabic Numbers in Everyday Sentences

Learning numbers becomes easier when you use them in practical sentences.

Talking About Age

  • عمري عشر سنوات.
    I am ten years old.
  • عمره خمسة عشر عامًا.
    He is fifteen years old.
  • عمرها اثنتا عشرة سنة.
    She is twelve years old.

Talking About Prices

  • هذا الكتاب بعشرة ريالات.
    This book costs ten riyals.
  • سعر القلم ريالان.
    The pen costs two riyals.
  • اشتريت ثلاثة كتب.
    I bought three books.

Talking About Time

  • الساعة الثالثة.
    It is three o’clock.
  • الدرس يبدأ في الساعة الخامسة.
    The lesson starts at five o’clock.
  • انتظرت عشر دقائق.
    I waited for ten minutes.

Talking About Quantity

  • عندي أربعة أقلام.
    I have four pens.
  • في الفصل عشرون طالبًا.
    There are twenty students in the classroom.
  • قرأت خمس صفحات.
    I read five pages.

Knowing Arabic numbers is especially useful when shopping because you need to understand prices, quantities, sizes, and payments. To learn more practical expressions for asking about prices and communicating in stores and markets, explore our Arabic for Shopping guide.

Arabic Numbers in Phone Numbers

When saying phone numbers in Arabic, speakers often pronounce the digits individually.

For example:

٥٦٧٨٩٠

This can be read as:

  • خمسة
  • ستة
  • سبعة
  • ثمانية
  • تسعة
  • صفر

In many Arabic-speaking countries, both Arabic-Indic numerals and Western numerals are used.

Arabic-Indic Numerals

٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩

Western Numerals

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Both systems are commonly seen in books, websites, signs, and digital applications.

Practising numbers aloud is important because learners need to recognize the sound of each number as well as its written form. If some Arabic sounds are difficult to pronounce clearly, especially sounds that may be unfamiliar to beginners, explore our Arabic Pronunciation for Beginners guide for additional pronunciation practice.

Arabic Ordinal Numbers

Cardinal numbers tell us how many things there are:

  • واحد — one
  • اثنان — two
  • ثلاثة — three

Ordinal numbers show position or order:

  • الأول — first
  • الثاني — second
  • الثالث — third
  • الرابع — fourth
  • الخامس — fifth

Here are some common ordinal numbers:

English

Masculine

Feminine

First

الأول

الأولى

Second

الثاني

الثانية

Third

الثالث

الثالثة

Fourth

الرابع

الرابعة

Fifth

الخامس

الخامسة

Sixth

السادس

السادسة

Seventh

السابع

السابعة

Eighth

الثامن

الثامنة

Ninth

التاسع

التاسعة

Tenth

العاشر

العاشرة

Examples

  • الدرس الأول — the first lesson
  • الصفحة الثانية — the second page
  • اليوم الثالث — the third day
  • المحاضرة الرابعة — the fourth lecture

Tips for Memorizing Arabic Numbers

Learning all Arabic numbers at once can feel overwhelming. Use these practical strategies to make the process easier.

  1. Learn Numbers in Groups

Start with:

  • 0–10
  • 11–20
  • Tens from 20 to 100
  • Numbers from 21 to 99

Do not try to memorize everything in one day.

  1. Practice Out Loud

Pronounce each number several times. Speaking helps you remember the sounds and improves your Arabic pronunciation.

You can review numbers while:

  • Walking
  • Driving
  • Cooking
  • Exercising
  • Organizing objects
  1. Count Real Objects

Count items around you in Arabic:

  • Books
  • Pens
  • Chairs
  • Windows
  • Plates
  • Clothes

For example:

  • كتاب واحد
  • كتابان
  • ثلاثة كتب
  • أربعة كتب
  1. Practice Prices and Time

Look at prices in a store or check the time and say them in Arabic.

Examples:

  • عشرة ريالات
  • خمسة وعشرون ريالًا
  • الساعة السابعة
  • عشر دقائق
  1. Use Flashcards

Write the number on one side and the Arabic word on the other side. Review a few cards every day.

  1. Learn Numbers in Sentences

Memorizing isolated words is useful, but sentences help you understand how Arabic numbers work naturally.

For example, instead of memorizing only خمسة, practice:

عندي خمسة كتب.
I have five books.

Learning numbers in sentences is much more effective when it is part of a broader Arabic learning routine. If you are building your Arabic skills from the beginning, our Learn Arabic from Scratch guide provides a step-by-step learning path covering vocabulary, phrases, grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

Confusing Similar Sounds

Some Arabic numbers contain sounds that may be unfamiliar, such as:

  • ث in ثلاثة
  • ع in عشرون
  • ح in أحد

Practice these sounds slowly and listen to native speakers whenever possible.

Forgetting the Word و

Numbers such as 21, 35, and 48 use the word و, meaning “and.”

For example:

  • واحد وعشرون
  • خمسة وثلاثون
  • ثمانية وأربعون

Do not say the unit and tens together without و.

Mixing Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers

Remember:

  • ثلاثة = three
  • الثالث = third
  • خمسة = five
  • الخامس = fifth

Ignoring Gender Agreement

Arabic numbers may change depending on the gender of the noun. For example:

  • ثلاثة كتب
  • ثلاث سيارات

This is one of the most important rules to practice after learning the basic numbers.

Practice Exercise

Try to translate these numbers into Arabic:

  1. Three
  2. Seven
  3. Twelve
  4. Twenty
  5. Twenty-five
  6. Thirty
  7. Forty-two
  8. Fifty-eight
  9. Seventy-four
  10. One hundred

Answers

  1. ثلاثة
  2. سبعة
  3. اثنا عشر
  4. عشرون
  5. خمسة وعشرون
  6. ثلاثون
  7. اثنان وأربعون
  8. ثمانية وخمسون
  9. أربعة وسبعون
  10. مئة

Now try to translate these sentences:

  1. I have three books.
  2. She is fifteen years old.
  3. The lesson starts at six o’clock.
  4. This costs twenty riyals.
  5. There are thirty students.

Sample Answers

  1. عندي ثلاثة كتب.
  2. عمرها خمس عشرة سنة.
  3. يبدأ الدرس في الساعة السادسة.
  4. هذا يكلف عشرين ريالًا.
  5. يوجد ثلاثون طالبًا.

Final Thoughts

Learning Arabic numbers is an important part of becoming comfortable with the language. Begin by memorizing numbers from 0 to 10, then learn the numbers from 11 to 20 and the tens from 20 to 100. After that, practice forming larger numbers using the word و.

Remember that Arabic numbers also have grammatical rules related to gender and sentence structure. You do not need to master every rule immediately. Start with simple examples, practice regularly, and gradually improve your accuracy.

With consistent practice, you will soon be able to use Arabic numbers when discussing age, prices, time, dates, quantities, and everyday conversations.

If you are also learning basic Arabic words and expressions, explore our guides to [Arabic vocabulary for beginners], [Arabic grammar for beginners], and [common Arabic greetings] to continue building your Arabic communication skills.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you say numbers in Arabic?

Arabic numbers are written and pronounced using words such as واحد for one, اثنان for two, ثلاثة for three, and عشرة for ten. Larger numbers follow different patterns based on the tens and units.

The Arabic word for 100 is مئة or مائة, pronounced miʾa.

Arabic numbers are relatively easy to learn when studied in groups. The main challenge for beginners is understanding pronunciation and gender agreement with nouns.

Practice numbers aloud, use flashcards, count objects around you, and include numbers in practical sentences about age, prices, time, and quantities.

Arabic-speaking countries may use both Arabic-Indic numerals, such as ١، ٢، ٣, and Western numerals, such as 1, 2, 3. Both systems are widely used.

Arabic numbers are only one part of developing practical communication skills. If you want to learn numbers alongside vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, and writing through a structured learning path, explore our Learn Arabic Online programs.

Conclusion2

Learning Arabic numbers from 1 to 100 is an important foundation for communicating in Arabic. By practicing the basic numbers, memorizing the tens, and learning how to combine numbers using و, beginners can quickly improve their ability to discuss age, prices, time, dates, and quantities.

It is also important to remember that some Arabic numbers change according to the gender of the noun they describe. Although this grammar rule may seem difficult at first, regular practice with simple words and sentences will make it easier to understand.

Start by practicing a few numbers every day, use them in real-life situations, and gradually build your confidence. With consistent study, Arabic numbers will become a natural and useful part of your language-learning journey.