Written by Dania Ghraoui, a translator and language teacher with 10 years of experience.
At A Glance: School supplies in Arabic are commonly called الأَدَوَاتُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-adawāt al-madrasiyyah) or اللَّوَازِمُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-lawāzim al-madrasiyyah). This guide gives you 15 useful Modern Standard Arabic words, from pen and pencil to backpack and calculator, plus a few short phrases you can use with them.
A new school year comes with a familiar list: pens, notebooks, rulers, and the bag that somehow has to carry them all.
Learn their Arabic names, and suddenly the objects on your desk become an easy vocabulary lesson.
Here are 15 school supplies in Arabic you can start using right away.
What Does “School Supplies” Mean in Arabic?
There are two useful expressions:
1. الأَدَوَاتُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-adawāt al-madrasiyyah)
2. اللَّوَازِمُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-lawāzim al-madrasiyyah).
Both refer to the things a student needs for school. Spoken Arabic may use different everyday words for individual items, but the list below keeps to MSA so you have forms that are widely understood.
15 Essential School Supplies in Arabic
Here are 15 common school items in Arabic. Keep an eye on the pronunciation column as you learn the Arabic script.
Writing Tools
| Meaning | Pronunciation | Arabic | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
pen |
qalam |
قَلَم |
|
|
pencil |
qalamu raṣāṣ
|
قَلَمُ رَصَاص
|
|
|
eraser |
mimḥāh |
مِمْحَاة |
|
|
pencil sharpener
|
mibrāh |
مِبْرَاة |
|
|
ruler |
misṭarah |
مِسْطَرَة |
|
|
scissors |
miqaṣṣ |
مِقَصّ |
|
|
glue |
ghirāʾ |
غِرَاء |
|
Books and Paper
| Meaning | Pronunciation | Arabic | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
book |
kitāb |
كِتَاب |
|
|
notebook |
daftar |
دَفْتَر |
|
|
sheet of paper
|
waraqah |
وَرَقَة |
|
|
folder / file
|
milaff |
مِلَفّ |
|
Bags and Other School Essentials
| Meaning | Pronunciation | Arabic | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
school bag
|
ḥaqībatun madrasiyyah
|
حَقِيبَةٌ مَدْرَسِيَّة
|
|
|
backpack |
ḥaqībatu ẓahr
|
حَقِيبَةُ ظَهْر
|
|
|
pencil case
|
miqlamah |
مِقْلَمَة |
|
|
calculator |
ʾālatun ḥāsibah
|
آلَةٌ حَاسِبَة
|
|
In everyday dialect, you may also hear شَنْطَة (shanṭah) for “bag.” The exact word people use can change from one region to another.
Useful Phrases for Talking About School Supplies
A word is easier to remember once you have used it for something. Try these short classroom phrases:
| Meaning | Pronunciation | Arabic | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Where is my pen?
|
ayna qalamī?
|
أَيْنَ قَلَمِي؟
|
|
|
Do you have an eraser? (to a male)
|
hal ladayka mimḥāh?
|
هَلْ لَدَيْكَ مِمْحَاة؟
|
|
|
I need a notebook.
|
aḥtāju ilā daftar.
|
أَحْتَاجُ إِلَى دَفْتَر.
|
|
|
This is my school bag.
|
hādhihi ḥaqībatī al-madrasiyyah.
|
هَذِهِ حَقِيبَتِي المَدْرَسِيَّة.
|
|
How to Remember School Vocabulary
Use the objects around you:
- Put an Arabic label on your notebook or pencil case, then try to recall the word before looking at the label.
- When you pack your bag, name each item in Arabic before you put it in.
- Next, use it in a short phrase rather than repeating the noun by itself.
If you want to build your Arabic vocabulary, the same routine works with food, clothes, rooms, and other everyday topics.
You can also continue with AlifBee’s Arabic vocabulary for beginners for more topic-based word lists.
Final word
School supplies are a useful vocabulary set because the objects are already around you. Pick a few words from the list, label the real items, and start using them in short sentences.
Learn with AlifBee
Continue with 100 basic Arabic words for beginners, or learn Arabic with AlifBee through structured lessons that build vocabulary with pronunciation, examples, and review.
FAQs
1. How do you say “school supplies” in Arabic?
You can say الأَدَوَاتُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-adawāt al-madrasiyyah) or اللَّوَازِمُ المَدْرَسِيَّة (al-lawāzim al-madrasiyyah) in MSA.
2.What is “pencil” in Arabic?
Pencil is قَلَم رَصَاص (qalam raṣāṣ) in Modern Standard Arabic.
3. What is “backpack” in Arabic?
Backpack is حَقِيبَة ظَهْر (ḥaqībat ẓahr). In spoken Arabic, you may hear other words for bags depending on the region.
4. What is “stationery” in Arabic?
Stationery can be called قِرْطَاسِيَّة (qirṭāsiyyah). It covers writing and paper supplies, while “school supplies” is broader and can also include items such as a backpack or calculator.
