Arabic Numbers 1–20

Numbers are everywhere — dates, prices, phone numbers, ages. Arabic numbers 1–10 are the ones you will hear constantly in shops and on the street, so start there. Tap any number above to hear it.

How Arabic numbers work

Arabic numbers are adjectives, so they interact with the noun they describe in a specific way:

• 1 and 2 agree with the noun in gender and usually come after it: كتاب واحد (kitaab waahid, one book).
• 3–10 come before the noun and take the opposite gender of the noun — this is the famous “inverted agreement” rule: ثلاثة كتب (thalaatha kutub, three books).
• 11–99 are built by joining units to عشر (3ashar, ten): eleven is literally “one ten,” twenty is عشرون (3ishroon).

For now, learn the standalone forms above. Gender agreement becomes second nature with practice.

Numbers in sentences

Counting things in daily life

In markets and cafés you will constantly hear numbers followed by a noun. A useful pattern is كم …؟ (kam…?, “how many…?”):

Cultural note

The number seven (سبعة, sab3a) has special significance in Islamic culture — seven heavens, seven circuits of the Kaaba during Hajj, and countless sayings. The number three (ثلاثة, thalaatha) also appears often in proverbs and folk tales.

Practice

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