Arabic Numbers: How to Count in Arabic
When you are learning the Arabic language, it is vital to learn Arabic numbers. You will need them to express yourself, buy groceries from the supermarket, give someone an address, and many more.
To many Arabic new learners, learning the Arabic numbers is quite hard. This is not just because you have to learn new numbers. Learning the numbers and knowing how to count in Arabic is somehow easy. It is how to use these numbers in Arabic properly that makes it hard.
In this article, we will try to simplify the Arabic numbers for you and teach you all about the Arabic numbers so you can use them the right way when speaking to native Arabic speakers.
What are Arabic Numbers?
If you live in any Western country like France, Germany, Canada, or The United States, you will use Arabic numbers and even learn them in school. But little did you know that what people call there the Arabic numbers is not what is considered the Arabic numbers in the Middle East.
This may seem a bit confusing at the moment but we will explain:
What is known as Arabic numbers to the rest of the world is this set: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0).
In an Arabic country, when you say the Arabic numbers, what comes to the native people’s minds is: (1، 2، 3، 4، 5، 6، 7، 8، 9، 0) and this is what is known to the rest of the world as the Arabic-Hindu or Indo-Arabic numerals.
This set of numbers includes 10 symbols, each representing a numerical digit. These numbers are widely used in Arab countries like the Arabic Gulf, Levant, and Egypt. Usually learning the Arabic numbers is easy. They are a lot similar to English but the learner may have some trouble if they have to use numbers in different Arab countries.
Arabic Numbers list
You already know the numbers and everything about them. Therefore, you only need to know how the Arabic numbers are written, and pronounced in Arabic. That is why we will give this list of numbers in Arabic.
Arabic Numbers 1-10
Learning the numbers from one to ten is essential to learning the Arabic numbers and how to count in Arabic.
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
1
Wahid
واحد
2
Ithnan
اثنان
3
Thalatha
ثلاثة
4
Arba’a
أربعة
5
Khamsa
خمسة
6
Sitta
ستة
7
Sab’a
سبعة
8
Thamaniya
ثمانية
9
Tis’a
تسعة
10
Ashra
عشرة
Now another number or let us just say another digit you will need here is zero. In Arabic zero is just a small dot (0) and it is called (Sifr). You need to be careful when you write the zeros in the number because they can be easily missed.
Arabic Numbers 11 - 19
The next step for you to know now is the number to one hundred. But here is something that you need to know. The numbers from 11 to 19 differ from those from 20 to 100. This is why we are going to make two tables for them.
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
11
Ahada ‘ashar
أحد عشر
12
Ithna ‘ashar
اثنا عشر
13
Thalatha-ta ‘ashar
ثلاثة عشر
14
Arba’a-ta ‘ashar
أربعة عشر
15
Khamsa-ta ‘ashar
خمسة عشر
16
Sitta-ta ‘ashar
ستة عشر
17
Sab’a-ta ‘ashar
سبعة عشر
18
Thamaniya-ta ‘ashar
ثمانية عشر
19
Tis’a-ta ‘ashar
تسعة عشر
You can notice here that we use the number and add the word “Ashar” afterward. For example, with the number “16” you just pronounce the number six (Sitta) then add “Ashar” and you have Sitta Ashar. The “ta” at the end of each number here is just because it ends with the letter (ة), which would be silent if the word that contains it is not followed by another word, but it will be pronounced in this case. That is why we append it after each number.
Arabic Numbers 20 to 90
Now here is a list of numbers from 20 to 100. But in this list, we are not going to put every number.
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
20
Ishrun
عشرون
30
Thalathun
ثلاثون
40
Arba’un
أربعون
50
Khamsun
خمسون
60
Sittun
ستون
70
Sab’un
سبعون
80
Thamanun
ثمانون
90
Tis’un
تسعون
Now counting from 20 to 100 is something else. You will have to say the name of the first digit, then say (WA) which is an Arabic word that means (And), after that you say the name of the second digit. Now let us say that you need the number thirty-five. How to pronounce that number?
It is simple! The first digit is five therefore we start with the word “Khamsa”. Afterward, we add “Wa” and then add “thalthon”. The result is “Khamsa wa thalathon”. This can be applied to all the numbers from 21 to 99.
How to learn numbers in Arabic?
Learning Arabic numbers is essential because you need to know them to communicate with others, and they are necessary at work. in fact, if you are in an Arab country, you will need them everywhere.
The problem that many students have is that they have difficulties learning numbers in Arabic. This is basically because they are dealing with each number by itself. This can only make things harder for them.
What is the best way to learn Arabic numbers?
It is to learn the numbers as a system not just as lists of words. You already have long lists of words you need to memorize. So, why would you try to look for a really longer one?
Instead, you should only learn the basic words. You will need to memorize the numbers from 1 to 9. Then, you have to learn how to use them to create numbers from 11 to 19.
The next step is to learn the multiples of 10 like 20, 30, 40 to 90. When you have them all memorized, you can just add the numbers and create the number that you need. You do not have to memorize the number 74, or the number 68. Just make the latter from the 60 and the 8 and you will have the ability to know every number from 1 to 100.
Now since there are not a lot of terms to memorize, you can use the cards to memorize the basic terms at the beginning. After that, you can try to practice for a while. Try to come up with numbers and then pronounce them and write them with words in Arabic.
How to Write Arabic Numbers
After you learn how to recognize the Arabic numbers, it is time to learn and memorize how to write them with words. This is important because a lot of the books – especially the novels – may write the numbers using Arabic characters.
When you are going to use Arabic numbers, you will have to know the gender of the thing you are counting. It does matter because gender affects the words you are going to use and especially affects words.
You should also pay attention to the grammar. Because sometimes you have to change the way you write them based on their position in the sentence. For example, the word “Ishren” means twenty but sometimes you just have to write “Ishron”
Now after that, you can keep in mind that writing numbers like this is not as easy as it looks, but you should start from somewhere.
How to Write Arabic Numbers from 1 to 10
knowing how to write numbers from 1 to 10 is important and essential to know how to write all the other numbers, because you will need this set of numbers when you are writing most of the numbers.
Even if you are a new Arabic learner and even if you do not have great writing skills, you will be able to learn how to write the numbers. In fact, after you memorize the pronunciation of the Arabic numbers, you will be able to use them as a method to practice the language and test your learning.
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
1
Wahid
واحد
2
Ithnan
اثنان
3
Thalatha
ثلاثة
4
Arba’a
أربعة
5
Khamsa
خمسة
6
Sitta
ستة
7
Sab’a
سبعة
8
Thamaniya
ثمانية
9
Tis’a
تسعة
10
Ashra
عشرة
How to Write Arabic Numbers from 10 to 19
You have to think about the numbers from 11 to 19 as the result of adding the first number on the right to ten. Do not think about 16 as the a whole number, it is 6 + 10. Because when you pronounce it as “Sitta-ta Ashar”, the first part is “sitta which mean six” the other part is “Ashar” which mean ten”.
The same principle applies to the rest of the numbers from 11 to 19, and here is how they are written:
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
11
Ahada ‘ashar
أحد عشر
12
Ithna ‘ashar
اثنا عشر
13
Thalatha-ta ‘ashar
ثلاثة عشر
14
Arba’a-ta ‘ashar
أربعة عشر
15
Khamsa-ta ‘ashar
خمسة عشر
16
Sitta-ta ‘ashar
ستة عشر
17
Sab’a-ta ‘ashar
سبعة عشر
18
Thamaniya-ta ‘ashar
ثمانية عشر
19
Tis’a-ta ‘ashar
تسعة عشر
How to Write Arabic from 20 to 100?
The Arabic numbers are written from the right to the left. Think about this when you want to write an Arabic number. After that, think about the number as the result of adding the first number on the right to the next digit multiplied by ten.
Let us take the number 72 as an example. It is the sum of adding 2 to 70. And you read it two and seventy. in Arabic it is “إثنان وسبعون” (Ithnan wa sab’oun).
To use this method, it is important to memorize how to write the Tens in Arabic. Here is how to write them.
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
20
Ishrun / ishrin
عشرون/عشرين
30
Thalathun / thalathin
ثلاثون/ثلاثين
40
Arba’un / arba’in
أربعون/أربعين
50
Khamsun / khamsin
خمسون/خمسين
60
Sittun / khamsin
ستون/ستين
70
Sab’un / sab’in
سبعون/سبعين
80
Thamanun / thamanin
ثمانون/ثمانين
90
Tis’un / tis’in
تسعون/تسعين
How to Write Arabic from 100 to 1000?
When you are writing numbers after one hundred, it is not the same as before. Now you will start writing from the hundreds, then go back to the previous rule.
As an example let us assume that you want to write this number 453. In Arabic it is “أربعمئة وثلاثة وخمسون”.
We start with the word “أربعمئة” which means four hundred, then “ثلاثة” which means three, and finally the word “خمسون”, which means fifty. To make it easy, you just start with the digit that resembles the hundreds and add the left number just as we used to do.
Here is how to write words from 100 to 900
Number
Pronunciation
Writing
100
Me’a
مئة
200
Me’atan
مئتان
300
Thathme’a
ثلاثمئة
400
Arba’mea
أربعمئة
500
Khamsme’a
خمسمئة
600
Sitme’a
ستمئة
700
Sab’me’a
سبعمئة
800
Thanme’a
ثمانمئة
900
Tis’me’a
تسعمئة
How to Count in Arabic
- wahid (m) / Wahda (f)
- Tniin (m) / Tnitin (f)
- Tlaate
- Arb’a
- Khamse
- Sitte
- Sab’a
- Tmane
- Tis’a
- Ashra
The Egyptian dialect
- Wahid (m)/ Wahda (f)
- Itnin
- Talata
- Arb’a
- Khamsa
- Sitta
- Sab’a
- Tamanya
- Tis’a
- Ashara
The Arabian Gulf dialect The dialect used in the Arabian Gulf and peninsula has two forms for each number from one to ten.
- WaaHid / Wahideh
- Ithnaen / thinten
- Thalath / Thalathah
- Arba’ / Arba’a
- Khamas / Khamsa
- Sitt / Sitta
- Sab’ / Sab’a
- Thanam / Thamanya
- Tis’ / Tis’a
- Ashr / Ahsarah
Conclusion
Arabic numbers are easy to use and pronounce. They can only be hard to write because there are some advanced rules to write them right if you are going to write them in words.
However, this can be an advanced matter and by then you will not have a hard time understanding it when you reach a level that is close to fluency.
You can make use of AlifBee to learn Arabic numbers and how to count in Arabic. It will provide you with plenty of examples for every level of learning the numbers in Arabic. Try it now for free.
