Arabic Numbers: Count, Tell Time & Shop in Arabic

Arabic Numbers in Daily Life: How to Count, Tell Time, and Shop in Arabic

Numbers are everywhere. From checking the time on your phone to bargaining at a market in Marrakech, Arabic numbers are one of the most immediately practical things you can learn. The good news? The foundation is simpler than you might expect — and once you crack the system, you unlock a huge range of real-world conversations.

In this guide, you'll learn the core Arabic numbers, how to combine them, how to tell the time, and how to handle shopping situations with confidence.

Part 1: The Numbers 1–10

Let's start at the very beginning. These ten numbers are the building blocks of everything else.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
صِفْر	ṣifr	zero
وَاحِد	wāḥid	one
اثْنَان	ithnān	two
ثَلَاثَة	thalātha	three
أَرْبَعَة	arbaʿa	four
خَمْسَة	khamsa	five
سِتَّة	sitta	six
سَبْعَة	sabʿa	seven
ثَمَانِيَة	thamāniya	eight
تِسْعَة	tisʿa	nine
عَشَرَة	ʿashara	ten

💡 Fun fact: The word صِفْر (ṣifr) is the origin of the English word cipher and the concept of zero itself — a gift from Arabic mathematicians to the world.

You can explore a full interactive list of Arabic numbers at arabic123.com/numbers.

Part 2: Numbers 11–20

The teens in Arabic follow a logical pattern: combine the unit + ten.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
أَحَدَ عَشَر	aḥada ʿashar	eleven
اثْنَا عَشَر	ithnā ʿashar	twelve
ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَر	thalāthata ʿashar	thirteen
أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَر	arbaʿata ʿashar	fourteen
خَمْسَةَ عَشَر	khamsata ʿashar	fifteen
سِتَّةَ عَشَر	sittata ʿashar	sixteen
سَبْعَةَ عَشَر	sabʿata ʿashar	seventeen
ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَر	thamāniyata ʿashar	eighteen
تِسْعَةَ عَشَر	tisʿata ʿashar	nineteen
عِشْرُون	ʿishrūn	twenty

Part 3: The Tens (20–100)

Once you know the tens, building any number up to 99 is straightforward.

Arabic	Transliteration	English
عِشْرُون	ʿishrūn	twenty
ثَلَاثُون	thalāthūn	thirty
أَرْبَعُون	arbaʿūn	forty
خَمْسُون	khamsūn	fifty
سِتُّون	sittūn	sixty
سَبْعُون	sabʿūn	seventy
ثَمَانُون	thamānūn	eighty
تِسْعُون	tisʿūn	ninety
مِئَة	miʾa	one hundred

Combining Numbers 21–99

To say compound numbers like 25 or 47, Arabic uses the format: unit + وَ (wa, meaning "and") + ten.

25 → خَمْسَة وَعِشْرُون (khamsa wa-ʿishrūn) — five and twenty
33 → ثَلَاثَة وَثَلَاثُون (thalātha wa-thalāthūn) — three and thirty
47 → سَبْعَة وَأَرْبَعُون (sabʿa wa-arbaʿūn) — seven and forty
99 → تِسْعَة وَتِسْعُون (tisʿa wa-tisʿūn) — nine and ninety

💡 Tip: Notice that Arabic says the smaller number first ("five and twenty" instead of "twenty-five"). This takes a little getting used to but becomes natural quickly.

Part 4: Telling the Time in Arabic

Knowing numbers allows you to tell the time — an essential skill for travel, meetings, and everyday conversation.

Asking the Time

كَمِ السَّاعَة؟ (kami s-sāʿa?) — What time is it?
السَّاعَة كَمْ؟ (as-sāʿa kam?) — What's the time? (informal)

Saying the Hour

The structure is: السَّاعَة + number

السَّاعَة وَاحِدَة (as-sāʿa wāḥida) — It is one o'clock
السَّاعَة ثَلَاثَة (as-sāʿa thalātha) — It is three o'clock
السَّاعَة عَشَرَة (as-sāʿa ʿashara) — It is ten o'clock

Adding Minutes

وَ (wa) means "and" — used for minutes past the hour
إِلَّا (illā) means "except/minus" — used for minutes to the hour

Examples:

السَّاعَة ثَلَاثَة وَعِشْرُون دَقِيقَة (as-sāʿa thalātha wa-ʿishrūn daqīqa) — 3:20 (three and twenty minutes)
السَّاعَة خَمْسَة وَنِصْف (as-sāʿa khamsa wa-niṣf) — 5:30 (five and a half)
السَّاعَة سِتَّة وَرُبُع (as-sāʿa sitta wa-rubʿ) — 6:15 (six and a quarter)
السَّاعَة سَبْعَة إِلَّا رُبُع (as-sāʿa sabʿa illā rubʿ) — 6:45 (seven minus a quarter)

Useful Time Vocabulary

Arabic	Transliteration	English
صَبَاحًا	ṣabāḥan	in the morning / AM
مَسَاءً	masāʾan	in the evening / PM
ظُهْرًا	ẓuhran	at noon
دَقِيقَة	daqīqa	minute
سَاعَة	sāʿa	hour / clock
الْآن	al-ān	now
بَكِيرًا	bakīran	early
مُتَأَخِّرًا	mutaʾakhkhiran	late

Part 5: Shopping with Numbers

One of the most exciting places to use Arabic numbers is in a market or shop. Here are the key phrases and vocabulary you'll need.

Essential Shopping Phrases

بِكَمْ هَذَا؟ (bikam hādhā?) — How much is this?
كَمْ الثَّمَن؟ (kam ath-thaman?) — What is the price?
هَذَا غَالٍ (hādhā ghālin) — This is expensive.
هَذَا رَخِيص (hādhā rakhīṣ) — This is cheap.
هَلْ يُمْكِن تَخْفِيض السِّعْر؟ (hal yumkin takhfīḍ as-siʿr?) — Can you lower the price?
سَآخُذُهُ (sa-ākhudhuhu) — I'll take it.
لَا شُكْرًا (lā shukran) — No, thank you.

Numbers in Context: A Sample Market Dialogue

Seller: بِكَمْ تُرِيد؟ (bikam turīd?) — How many do you want?

You: أُرِيد ثَلَاثَة. (urīd thalātha.) — I want three.

Seller: الثَّمَن خَمْسَة وَعِشْرُون جُنَيْهًا. (ath-thaman khamsa wa-ʿishrūn junayhān.) — The price is 25 pounds.

You: غَالٍ! عِشْرُون فَقَط؟ (ghālin! ʿishrūn faqaṭ?) — Expensive! Only twenty?

Seller: حَسَنًا، اثْنَان وَعِشْرُون. (ḥasanan, ithnān wa-ʿishrūn.) — Okay, twenty-two.

Currency Vocabulary

Arabic	Transliteration	English
جُنَيْه	junayhī	Egyptian pound
دِرْهَم	dirham	dirham (UAE/Morocco)
دِينَار	dīnār	dinar (Iraq, Jordan, etc.)
رِيَال	riyāl	riyal (Saudi Arabia, etc.)
قُرُوش	qurūsh	piastres / small change

Part 6: Giving Your Phone Number

Saying your phone number in Arabic is a key social skill. Arabic speakers typically read phone numbers digit by digit.

Example: 0501234567 would be read as:

صِفْر، خَمْسَة، صِفْر، وَاحِد، اثْنَان، ثَلَاثَة، أَرْبَعَة، خَمْسَة، سِتَّة، سَبْعَة

(ṣifr, khamsa, ṣifr, wāḥid, ithnān, thalātha, arbaʿa, khamsa, sitta, sabʿa)

مَا رَقَمُ هَاتِفِكَ؟ (mā raqamu hātifika?) — What is your phone number?
رَقَمِي هُوَ... (raqamī huwa...) — My number is...

Practice Exercises

Test yourself with these quick challenges:

Write in Arabic: 15, 42, 78, 100
What time is it? Practise saying 7:30, 9:15, and 11:45 in Arabic.
Role play: Imagine you are at a market. An item costs 60 dirhams. Ask the price, say it's expensive, and try to negotiate to 50.
Digit by digit: Say your own phone number out loud in Arabic.

Quick Reference: Key Number Vocabulary

Concept	Arabic	Transliteration
Number	رَقَم	raqam
Price	سِعْر / ثَمَن	siʿr / thaman
How much?	بِكَمْ؟	bikam?
Half	نِصْف	niṣf
Quarter	رُبُع	rubʿ
Hundred	مِئَة	miʾa
Thousand	أَلْف	alf
Million	مِلْيُون	milyūn

What's Next?

Numbers are a gateway to so much more. Once you're comfortable counting and telling the time, you'll want to expand your vocabulary further. Head to the Arabic words directory to explore themed vocabulary sets, or visit the Arabic numbers page for a full reference guide.

For more essential vocabulary, check out the guide to 100 Essential Arabic Words Every Beginner Should Know, and browse all our learning guides at arabic123.com/guides.

Numbers might seem small, but they open the door to real conversations — at markets, at restaurants, in taxis, and everywhere in between. Keep practising, and you'll be surprised how quickly they become second nature!