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Counting in Arabic
Language overview
Due to lack of data, we can only count accurately up to 1,000,000 in Arabic. Please contact me if you
can help me counting up from that limit.
1
Arabic numerals
What is commonly known as “Arabic numerals”, and more rarely Hindu–Arabic numerals, is the set of
characters or graphemes which represent the digits 0 to 9, as well as the positional decimal system
attached to it. Those digits, invented in India around the IIIrd century BC, have transited within the
Arab civilization from the IXth century before arriving in Europe in the Xth century. In the Mashreq
countries, that is to say mainly Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, the Hindu numerals are
used in conjunction with Western numerals.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Digits from zero to nine are specific words, namely sifr ( ﺻْﻔٌﺭ ِ ) [0], wahid (ﺍﺣٌﺩ ِ [ )َﻭ1], ithnan
([ )ِﺍﺛْﻧَﺎﻥ2], thalatha (ٌ ﻼﺛ َﺔَ َ [ )ﺛ3], arba’a ([ )ﺃ َْﺭﺑٌَﻊ4], khamsa (ٌﺳﺔ
ِ َ [ )َﺧْﻣ5], sitta (ٌ[ )ِﺳﺗ ﱠﺔ6], sab’a
(ٌ [ )ﺳْﺑﻌﺔ7], thamaniya (ٌ ﺎﻧﻳﺔ
َ َ َ ِ [ )ﺛ ََﻣ8], and tis’a (ٌ[)ِﺗْﺳﻌَﺔ9].
The tens are based on the root of the digit names, suffixed by un ()ﻭﻥ, except for ten: ‘ashra
(ٌ ﺷﺭﺓ
ََ ﻋ
َ ) [10], ‘ishrun (ﻭﻥ َ [ )ِﻋْﺷُﺭ20], thalathun (ﻭﻥ َ ُ [ )ﺛ َ َﻼﺛ30], arba’un (ﻭﻥَ ُ[ )ﺃ َْﺭﺑَﻌ40],
khamsun (ﻭﻥ َ ﺳ ُ [ )َﺧْﻣ50], sittun (ﻭﻥ َ [ )ِﺳﺗ ﱡ60], sab’un (ﻭﻥ َ ُﺳْﺑﻌ َ ) [70], thamanun (ﻭﻥ َ ُ[ )ﺛ ََﻣﺎﻧ80],
and tis’un (ﻥ َ [ )ﺗ َْﺳﻌَْﻭ90].
From eleven to nineteen, compound numbers are formed by stating the unit, then a form of the
word for ten: ahada ‘ashar ( ﺷٍﺭ َ [ ) ِﺇْﺣَﺩﻯ11], ithna ‘ashar (ﺷٌﺭ
َ ﻋ َ [ )ِﺍﺛْﻧَﺎ12], thalatha ‘ashar
َ ﻋ
(ﺷﺭ
ََ ﻋَ َ[ )ﺛ َ َﻼﺛ َﺔ13], arba’a ‘ashar (ﺷَﺭ َ َ[ )ﺃ َْﺭﺑَﻌَﺔ14], khamsa ‘ashar (ﺷَﺭ
َ ﻋ َ َﺳﺔ
َ ﻋ َ [ )َﺧْﻣ15], sitta
‘ashar (ﺷﺭ
ََ ﻋ َ َ[ )ِﺳﺗ ﱠﺔ16], sab’a ‘ashar (ﺷَﺭ َ َﺳْﺑﻌَﺔ
َ ﻋ َ ) [17], thamaniya ‘ashar (ﺷَﺭ َ ﻋَ َ)ﺛ ََﻣِﺎﻧﻳَﺔ
[18], and tis’a ‘ashar (ﺷﺭ
َ َ[ )ِﺗْﺳَﻌﺔ19].
ََ ﻋ
Above twenty-one, compound numbers are formed by stating the unit then the ten, linked with the
and word connector (wa-, )َﻭ. Hence we get: thalatha wa-khamsun (ﻭﻥ َ ﺳ ُ [ )ﺛ َ َﻼﺛ َﺔُ َﻭ َﺧْﻣ53],
sab’a wa-tis’un (ﻥ َ ﺳْﺑﻌَﺔُ َﻭ ﺗ َْﺳﻌَْﻭ
َ ) [97].
Hundreds are formed by stating the multiplier digit before the word for hundred, except for one
hundred itself: mi’a (ٌ ﻣﺋ َﺔ
ِ َ [ )ِﻣﺎﺋ َﺗ200], thalatha mi’a (َ[ )ﺛ َ َﻼﺛ َﺔَ ِﻣﺋ َﺔ300],
ِ ) [100], ithnan mi’a (ﺎﻥ
arba’a mi’a (َﻣﺋ َﺔ ِ َ[ )ﺃ َْﺭﺑَﻌَﺔ400], khamsa mi’a (َﺳﺔَ ِﻣﺋ َﺔ َ [ )َﺧْﻣ500], sitta mi’a (َ[ )ِﺳﺗ ﱠﺔَ ِﻣﺋ َﺔ600],
sab’a mi’a (َﻣﺋ َﺔ ِ َﺳْﺑﻌَﺔ َ ) [700], thamaniya mi’a (َ[ )ﺛ ََﻣِﺎﻧﻳَﺔَ ِﻣﺋَﺔ800], and tis’a mi’a (َ)ِﺗْﺳﻌَﺔَ ِﻣﺋ َﺔ
[900].
The word for thousand is alf ()ﺃ َْﻟﻑ. Two thousand is using the dual form of thousand: alfain
ٌ
([ )ﺃ َْﻟﻔَْﻳﻥ2,000]. Above two thousand, the plural form of thousand is used: thalatha alaaf (ُ ﻼﺛ َﺔ َ َﺛ
ِ
ﻑٍ [ )ﺁ َﻻ3,000], arba’a alaaf (ﻑ ٍ [ )ﺃﺭﺑَﻌﺔ ﺁ َﻻ4,000], khamsa alaaf (ﺳﺔُ ﺃَﻻﻑ َ [ )َﺧْﻣ5,000], sitta
alaaf (ﺳﺗ ﱠﺔ ُ ﺃ َﻻﻑ ِ ) [6,000], sab’a alaaf (ﺳْﺑﻌَﺔُ ﺃ َﻻﻑ َ ) [7,000], thamaniya alaaf ()ﺛ ََﻣِﺎﻧﻳَﺔُ ﺃ َﻻﻑ
[8,000], and tis’a alaaf (ﺗﺴﻌﺔ ﺃ َﻻﻑ ِ ) [9,000]. 6
The word for million is malioun ([ )ﻣِﻠﻳُﻭﻥ1 million, 10 ], and the word for billion is maliâr ()ﻣِﻠﻳﺎﺭ
9
ْ َ َ َ
[1 billion, 10 ].
2
Write a number in full in Arabic
Books
Arabic Voices 1: Authentic Listening and Reading Practice in Modern Standard Arabic and
Colloquial Dialects
by Matthew Aldrich, editors Lingualism (2014)
[ Amazon.com, Kindle - Amazon.com]
Articles
3
Semitic languages
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