Arabic Numbers, Dates, and Time: Essential Reference Guide
Two Numeral Systems: Arabic-Indic and Western
One of the first confusing things Arabic learners encounter is that there are two different numeral systems in Arabic-speaking countries. Western Arabic numerals — the 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 that the entire world now uses — were actually derived from the Arabic numeral system and spread west through medieval European trade. Eastern Arabic numerals — also called Arabic-Indic numerals — are the original form: ٠ (0), ١ (1), ٢ (2), ٣ (3), ٤ (4), ٥ (5), ٦ (6), ٧ (7), ٨ (8), ٩ (9). Most Arab countries use Western numerals in everyday life — you will see them in prices, phone numbers, and street signs. Eastern Arabic numerals appear in the Quran, some formal texts, and in certain countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Recognising both systems is a basic literacy skill.
Numbers 1–10: The Foundation
The Arabic numbers one through ten, with pronunciation: ١ waahid (one), ٢ ithnaan (two), ٣ thalaatha (three), ٤ arba'a (four), ٥ khamsa (five), ٦ sitta (six), ٧ sab'a (seven), ٨ thamaaniya (eight), ٩ tis'a (nine), ١٠ 'ashara (ten). One critical grammar note: Arabic numbers have grammatical gender, and the rules are counterintuitive. Numbers one and two agree with the noun they count (masculine nouns take the masculine form of the number, feminine take feminine). Numbers three through ten follow reversed gender agreement: a masculine noun takes the feminine form of the number, and a feminine noun takes the masculine form. This is one of Arabic's famously difficult features — even advanced learners make errors here. For basic communication, do not let this stop you from using numbers; learners are widely understood even with gender errors.
Numbers 11–100
Numbers eleven through nineteen follow a clear pattern in Arabic. Eleven is ahada 'ashar, twelve is ithnaa 'ashar, and so on — the unit number plus a form of ten. Multiples of ten: twenty is 'ishruun, thirty is thalaathuun, forty is arba'uun, fifty is khamsaun, sixty is sittuun, seventy is sab'uun, eighty is thamaanuun, ninety is tis'uun, one hundred is mi'a. Compound numbers (21–99) use the unit first followed by 'and' (wa) then the ten: twenty-one is waahid wa 'ishruun, thirty-five is khamsa wa thalaathuun. Unlike English, Arabic says the smaller number first. Prices in shops use numbers constantly — mastering 1–100 gives you practical shopping ability immediately.
Days of the Week and Months
The Arabic days of the week are named with a numerical pattern for most days. Sunday is al-ahad (literally 'the one'), Monday is al-ithnayn ('the two'), Tuesday is al-thalaathaa' ('the three'), Wednesday is al-arbi'aa' ('the four'), Thursday is al-khamiis ('the fifth'), Friday is al-jumu'a ('the congregation' — the Islamic holy day), Saturday is as-sabt (from Hebrew Shabbat). The months in Arabic countries are complex because different calendar systems are used: the Gregorian calendar uses Arabic adaptations of the European month names in the Gulf and Egypt (Yanaayr for January, Fibraayr for February, etc.), while the Levant uses older Syriac month names (Kaanuun ath-Thaani for January, Shubaat for February). The Islamic Hijri calendar's months — Muharram, Safar, Rabi' al-Awwal, etc. — appear in religious contexts and official documents.
Telling Time in Arabic
To tell time in Arabic, the basic formula uses the number followed by a time marker. The hour is as-saa'a (literally 'the watch/clock'). One o'clock is as-saa'a al-waahida. Two o'clock is as-saa'a ath-thaaniya. Three o'clock is as-saa'a ath-thaalitha. For half past, add wa-n-nisf (and a half): as-saa'a ath-thaaniya wa-n-nisf (half past two). For quarter past, add wa-r-rub' (and a quarter). For quarter to, use illaa rub' (minus a quarter): as-saa'a ath-thaalitha illaa rub' (quarter to three). Time of day is specified with sabaahan (in the morning), dhuhr (noon), masaa'an (in the evening), or laylan (at night). Colloquial Arabic often simplifies these expressions — in Egyptian dialect, for example, time expressions are somewhat different from MSA. Learning time vocabulary in both MSA and your target dialect is worthwhile.
Ordinal Numbers and Dates
Ordinal numbers (first, second, third) are used in dates. The first is al-awwal (masculine) or al-uulaa (feminine), the second is ath-thaani/ath-thaaniya, the third is ath-thaalith/ath-thaalitha, and so on from four onward they follow a regular pattern. Dates are written and read with the day ordinal first, then the month, then the year: the 15th of March 2024 would be al-khamis 'ashar min Maarees alfayn wa arba'a wa 'ishruun. In formal Arabic writing, the date often appears as numbers: 15/3/2024. The year uses the Arabic word for thousand (alf), hundreds (mi'a), and so on. The Islamic year is considerably shorter than the Gregorian year (354 days), so Islamic year numbers are higher — 2024 CE corresponds approximately to 1445–1446 AH (Anno Hegirae).
Practical Number Vocabulary for Daily Use
Numbers appear in everything from shopping to reading public transport information. The most practically useful vocabulary beyond the core numbers: nuss (half), thulth (one third), rub' (quarter), daf'a (time as in 'once' = marra waahida, 'twice' = marrataan), raqm (number/digit), 'adad (quantity), si'r (price), kam? (how much / how many?), bi-kam? (for how much? — used when asking a price), hisaab (calculation/bill), khasmara (discount/reduction — from the root kh-s-m), majjaanan (for free). Mastering these words alongside the core numbers gives you the functional arithmetic vocabulary to handle most real-world Arabic number contexts: markets, transport, restaurants, and scheduling.
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