Arabic Numbers

Written by Amel B.

About this Arabic numbers activity

This activity teaches the numbers 1 to 100 in five ranges of twenty. In Learn, each number card shows the Eastern Arabic numeral, the Western digit, the Arabic number word, a pronunciation guide and a button to hear it. In Quiz, your child can either match an Eastern Arabic numeral to its Western digit or hear an Arabic number word and choose the matching Eastern numeral. The number words are the standard counting forms, and the audio uses your device's Arabic voice, which varies between devices.

The digits and the first words

Ten is عَشَرَة. Beware of two look-alikes: the Eastern ٥ looks like the Western 0, and ٠ is just a dot.

Which digits do people use?

Both sets of digits are in use. Eastern digits are common in print in Egypt, the Levant, Iraq and the Gulf, while Western digits (0–9) are standard in the Maghreb, including Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and are common on screens and phones everywhere. Learning both helps. A useful detail is that digits are written left to right even inside Arabic text, so ١٢٣ starts on the left, like 123.

How 11 to 100 are built

• 11 to 19 are the unit plus ten: أَحَدَ عَشَر (11), اثْنَا عَشَر (12), ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَر (13).
• The tens are عِشْرُون 20, ثَلَاثُون 30, أَرْبَعُون 40, خَمْسُون 50, سِتُّون 60, سَبْعُون 70, ثَمَانُون 80 and تِسْعُون 90. In many sentences, and in speech, the ending changes to ـين, so you will often hear عِشْرِين for 20.
• In-between numbers put the unit first: خَمْسَة وَعِشْرُون (“five and twenty”) is 25. The order is the reverse of English.
• 100 is مِئَة, also spelled مائة.

Everyday speech often shortens the teens. For example, 11 sounds like hidashar in Egyptian Arabic.

A rule for later: counting things

The activity teaches the standard counting forms. When you count objects, the numbers from 3 to 10 take the opposite gender of the thing counted, and the thing is plural. So ثَلَاثَة أَوْلَاد is three boys, but ثَلَاث بَنَات is three girls. You do not need this to start, but it helps to know that it exists. Ordinals such as الأَوَّل (first), الثَّانِي (second) and الثَّالِث (third) are a separate set of words.

Where the numbers come from

The ten-digit system with a zero was developed in India and reached Europe through the Arab world, which is why the digits 0–9 are called Hindu–Arabic numerals. English “zero” and “cipher” both come from the Arabic صِفْر (sifr), and the word “algebra” comes from الجَبْر (al-jabr), from a ninth-century book by the mathematician al-Khwarizmi.

A simple learning plan

1. Week 1. Learn 1 to 10 and the digit shapes. Count objects aloud each day.
2. Week 2. Learn 11 to 20, then the tens up to 100.
3. Week 3. Use the Quiz in each range, then say numbers you see in everyday life, such as house numbers and prices.

Away from the screen

• Count and climb. Count the stairs, steps or snacks in Arabic.
• Number cards. Write Eastern digits on cards and match them with Western digits.
• Hide and seek. Count to ten in Arabic before looking.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Arabic numbers 1 to 10?

وَاحِد، اثْنَان، ثَلَاثَة، أَرْبَعَة، خَمْسَة، سِتَّة، سَبْعَة، ثَمَانِيَة، تِسْعَة، عَشَرَة.

What do Eastern Arabic numerals look like?

٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ are the digits 0 to 9. They are not used everywhere, since the Maghreb mostly uses 0 to 9.

Why are our numbers called Arabic numerals?

They were developed in India and spread to Europe through the Arab world, so they are often called Hindu–Arabic numerals.

How do you count to 100 in Arabic?

Learn 1 to 10, then the teens (the unit plus ten), then the tens. For numbers like 25, say the unit first: “five and twenty”.

What is zero in Arabic?

صِفْر (sifr). English “zero” and “cipher” come from this word.

Why do I hear عِشْرِين and not عِشْرُون?

The ending of the tens changes with grammar, and speech mostly uses the ـين form.

How do you learn Arabic numbers quickly?

Learn the digit shapes with the words, practise in small ranges, and count real things aloud every day.

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