Arabic Numbers and Counting Rules

Arabic numbers have two parts to learn: the digits you read (٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩) and the number words with their counting rules. The digits take an afternoon. The rules take a little longer, because Arabic numbers change their gender, and sometimes the form of the noun after them, depending on what you are counting. Once you see the pattern, it becomes logical, and the Quran is full of examples that make it stick. In our Arabic grammar course, native tutors teach numbers alongside gender and case endings, because the three are closely connected.

This guide takes you from zero to a thousand: digits, number words, the rules for each range, ordinal numbers and the most common mistakes learners make.

Arabic Digits: Reading the Numbers

The numbers we call “Arabic numerals” in English (0 to 9) grew out of Indian numerals and took their Western shapes in North Africa and al-Andalus. In Egypt, the Gulf and the Levant, you will see the Eastern Arabic digits instead, on prices, page numbers and ayah markers in the mushaf.

Two things surprise learners. First, even though Arabic text runs right to left, numbers are written left to right: ٢٠٢٦ is 2026. Second, zero is a small dot (٠) and five is a small circle (٥), so do not confuse them. The word sifr, meaning “empty”, is the origin of the English words “cipher” and, through Italian, “zero”.

Numbers 1 and 2: They Behave Like Adjectives

The numbers one and two come after the noun and agree with it in gender, just like an adjective:

• كِتَابٌ وَاحِدٌ (one book), وَرَقَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (one sheet)
• The Quran says: وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ, “your god is one God” (al-Baqarah 2:163).

In practice, Arabic often does not need the number at all. The singular already means one, and the dual ending (ـَانِ or ـَيْنِ) already means two: كِتَابَانِ (two books). The word اثْنَانِ is added only for emphasis, as in لَا تَتَّخِذُوا إِلَٰهَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ, “do not take two gods” (an-Nahl 16:51).

Numbers 3 to 10: The Reverse Gender Rule

This is the famous rule. From three to ten, the number takes the opposite gender of the singular of the counted noun, and the noun comes after it as a plural in the genitive.

• Masculine noun, so the number has ta marbuta: ثَلَاثَةُ رِجَالٍ (three men)
• Feminine noun, so the number has no ta marbuta: ثَلَاثُ نِسَاءٍ (three women)

The key is to look at the singular. أَيَّام (days) is the plural of يَوْم, which is masculine, so the Quran says فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ, “fasting for three days” (al-Baqarah 2:196). This is why you need to know a noun’s gender before you can count it, which our guide to masculine and feminine nouns in Arabic covers in detail. The plural itself is often a broken plural, explained in our article on Arabic plural forms.

One ayah shows both sides of the rule at once: سَبْعَ لَيَالٍ وَثَمَانِيَةَ أَيَّامٍ, “seven nights and eight days” (al-Haqqah 69:7). لَيْلَة (night) is feminine, so seven has no ta; يَوْم (day) is masculine, so eight has one.

Practice the patterns with the flashcards below before moving on to the larger numbers.

Numbers 11 to 19: Two Words, One Number

The teens are built from a unit and the word for ten, and both parts usually end in a fathah. The counted noun is now singular and accusative, known in grammar as tamyiz (specification).

11 and 12: both parts agree

• أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا, “eleven stars” (Yusuf 12:4)
• اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا, “twelve months” (at-Tawbah 9:36)
• اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا, “twelve springs” (al-Baqarah 2:60), feminine because عَيْن is feminine

13 to 19: the unit reverses, the ten agrees

• ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ طَالِبًا (thirteen male students)
• ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ طَالِبَةً (thirteen female students)

Notice that in feminine compounds, عَشْرَة is pronounced with a sukun on the shin. If the shifting endings feel confusing, our sister guide on i’rab explains why Arabic word endings change with their role in the sentence.

Tens, Hundreds and Thousands

The tens: one form for both genders

عِشْرُونَ (20), ثَلَاثُونَ (30), أَرْبَعُونَ (40), خَمْسُونَ (50), سِتُّونَ (60), سَبْعُونَ (70), ثَمَانُونَ (80), تِسْعُونَ (90). They do not change for gender, and they take the endings -una or -ina depending on their case. The noun after them is again singular and accusative: وَوَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَاثِينَ لَيْلَةً, “and We appointed for Moses thirty nights” (al-A’raf 7:142).

Compound tens: units first

For 21 to 99, say the unit, then وَ (and), then the ten. The unit follows its usual rule (1 and 2 agree, 3 to 9 reverse):

• خَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ رَجُلًا (twenty-five men)
• تِسْعٌ وَتِسْعُونَ نَعْجَةً, “ninety-nine ewes” (Sad 38:23), where nine has no ta because نَعْجَة is feminine

100 and 1,000: no gender change

مِائَة (100, often spelled مِئَة today and pronounced mi’a) and أَلْف (1,000) never change for gender. The noun after them is singular and genitive:

• فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِائَةَ عَامٍ, “so Allah caused him to die for a hundred years” (al-Baqarah 2:259)
• أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا, “a thousand years less fifty” (al-‘Ankabut 29:14)

Their duals are مِائَتَانِ (200) and أَلْفَانِ (2,000). From 3,000 to 10,000, أَلْف follows the 3 to 10 rule with its plural: ثَلَاثَةُ آلَافٍ.

Quick Reference: Which Form Does the Noun Take?

Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third

Ordinals are simpler. From second to tenth they use the pattern فَاعِل and agree with the noun like any adjective:

• الأَوَّلُ / الأُولَى (first), الثَّانِي / الثَّانِيَة (second), الثَّالِثُ / الثَّالِثَة (third), and so on to العَاشِرُ / العَاشِرَة (tenth)
• الدَّرْسُ الثَّالِثُ (the third lesson), الحِصَّةُ الثَّالِثَةُ (the third class)

Common Mistakes Learners Make

1. Putting وَاحِد before the noun, as in English (“one book”), instead of after it.
2. Using the gender of the plural instead of the singular when applying the reverse rule.
3. Using a plural noun after 11 to 99 instead of the singular.
4. Reading compound numbers in English order (“twenty-five”) instead of “five and twenty”.
5. Reading Eastern digits right to left because the surrounding text runs that way.

A tutor who hears you count real objects can correct these in minutes. If you want structured practice, you can learn Arabic online with a native tutor in one-to-one lessons. Our guide on how to learn Quranic Arabic shows where numbers fit in a wider study plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Arabic numbers written left to right?

Yes. Even within right-to-left Arabic text, multi-digit numbers are written and read from left to right, so ١٤٥ is 145. Only the words around them run right to left.

Why do Arabic numbers 3 to 10 take the opposite gender?

It is a feature of Arabic grammar, and linguists have offered several explanations for it. For learners, the practical rule is simple: if the singular of the counted noun is masculine, use the number with ta marbuta; if it is feminine, drop it.

How do you say 25 in Arabic?

خَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ (khamsatun wa ‘ishrun), literally “five and twenty”. With a feminine noun the unit changes: خَمْسٌ وَعِشْرُونَ.

Do I need number rules to understand the Quran?

They help a great deal. Numbers appear in many ayahs about days, nights, months and years, and recognizing the patterns makes the meaning clear without a translation. They are part of the nahw (grammar) taught in our Arabic language course.

Which digits do Arabic speakers use today?

Both. Eastern Arabic digits are standard in Egypt, the Gulf and the Levant, while Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia mainly use 0 to 9. Persian and Urdu use a slightly different set of Eastern digits, with different shapes for 4, 5 and 6.

Madraset El Quran Academy

Editor@madrasatelquran.com

Madraset Elquran Academy is a world-class platform for learning Quran, Arabic, and Islamic Studies, recognized globally for its excellence. As one of the leading online Quran schools, we offer personalized one-on-one sessions with expert native Egyptian tutors, providing high-quality education for learners of all levels.

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