Arabic Numbers 1–20

Learn to count from 1 to 20 in Arabic — the foundation for dates, prices, and everyday math.

Numbers are everywhere — dates, prices, phone numbers, ages. Arabic numbers 1–10 have feminine and masculine forms, but for now just learn these basic forms. You will hear them constantly in shops, on the street, and in conversation.

Counting 1–10

Number	Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
1	واحد	waahid	one
2	اثنان	ithnaan	two
3	ثلاثة	thalaatha	three
4	أربعة	arba’a	four
5	خمسة	khamsa	five
6	ستة	sitta	six
7	سبعة	sab’a	seven
8	ثمانية	thamaaniya	eight
9	تسعة	tis’a	nine
10	عشرة	ashara	ten

Counting 11–20

Number	Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
11	أحد عشر	ahada ashara	eleven
12	اثنا عشر	ithnaa ashara	twelve
13	ثلاثة عشر	thalaatha ashara	thirteen
14	أربعة عشر	arba’a ashara	fourteen
15	خمسة عشر	khamsa ashara	fifteen
16	ستة عشر	sitta ashara	sixteen
17	سبعة عشر	sab’a ashara	seventeen
18	ثمانية عشر	thamaaniya ashara	eighteen
19	تسعة عشر	tis’a ashara	nineteen
20	عشرون	ishruun	twenty

How Arabic Numbers Work

Arabic numbers are adjectives that follow the noun they describe. This means they must agree with the noun in gender. The numbers 1 and 2 always agree with the noun, while 3–10 have an inverted agreement rule: they take the opposite gender of the noun they modify.

Numbers in Sentences

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
كتاب واحد	kitaabun waahid	one book
ثلاثة كتب	thalaatha kutub	three books
عشرة ريالات	ashara riyālāt	ten riyals
خمسة عشر دقيقة	khamsa ashara daqiqa	fifteen minutes

Cultural Note

In Arabic-speaking cultures, numbers are often used in wordplay and proverbs. The number seven (سبعة) holds special significance in Islamic culture — there are seven heavens, seven circuits of the Kaaba during Hajj, and many sayings reference seven. The number three (ثلاثة) also appears frequently in expressions and stories.

Want to practice these numbers in context? Try the Arabic numbers lesson.

Practice

How do you say 'three' in Arabic?

hint: It starts with ث

What is 'خمسة' in English?

hint: It is the number after four

How do you say 'twenty minutes' in Arabic?

hint: Use the number 20 + minutes

Match each pair — start with Arabic (left)

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Arabic

English

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