Arabic numbers

Arabic numbers 0 to 10 for kids

In Arabic, one to ten are waahid, ithnaan, thalaatha, arba'a, khamsa, sitta, sab'a, thamaaniya, tis'a and ashara, and many Arab countries write the digits ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩ ١٠. Tap a number to hear it, then count along together.

0 to 10Tap to hearAges 3–7

Teacher review under way.

Tap a number to hear it in Arabic.

Good to know

Four things parents ask about Arabic numbers

Numbers go left to right
Arabic words read right to left, but a number with two digits is written left to right, just like in English: ١٠ is a 1 and then a 0.
Two families of digits
Many Arab countries write ١ ٢ ٣ like this. North Africa uses 1 2 3 — the digits English uses, which travelled to Europe through the Arab world too.
Zero is sifr
The Arabic word for zero, sifr, is where the English words 'cipher' and 'zero' come from. In Arabic writing, zero is just a small dot: ٠
Tricky look-alikes
٥ (five) is a little circle that looks like an English 0, ٦ (six) looks a bit like a 7, and ٧ (seven) is a V. Point them out early.

Count along

Practise counting in Arabic

Count everyday things out loud in Arabic: stairs, shoes by the door, dates on a plate, stars in a picture book.
Hold up fingers and ask “how many?” — answer in English first, then in Arabic.
Play “what's missing?”: cover one number on the screen above and guess which one is hiding.