Few topics intimidate Arabic learners quite like Arabic numbers grammar. Ask anyone who has studied the language: saying “three books” or “eleven students” correctly involves rules about gender, case, and word order that seem to change from one number to the next. 

The good news? Once you see the system behind it, Arabic numbers grammar becomes far more logical than it first appears.

In Arabic, this topic is known as العدد والمعدود (al-ʿadad wal-maʿdūd) — “the number and the counted noun.” The number (العدد) is the word expressing quantity, while the counted noun (المعدود), also called the tamyīz (تمييز) or “specification,” is the noun being counted. In the phrase “seven books,” seven is the number and books is the counted noun.

There is no single rule that covers all Arabic numbers. Instead, the rules change depending on which group a number belongs to. In this guide from Kalimah Center, we break the system down into clear categories, each with examples, so you can master the grammar of numbers in Arabic step by step.

Arabic grammarians traditionally divide numbers into four groups:

1. Singular numbers (الأعداد المفردة): 1 to 10, plus 100, 1000, and their multiples, and the “tens” words.
2. Compound numbers (الأعداد المركبة): 11 to 19.
3. The tens / decade words (ألفاظ العقود): 20, 30, 40 … up to 90.
4. Conjoined numbers (الأعداد المعطوفة): 21 to 99 (e.g., “five and thirty” = 35).

1. The Numbers 1 and 2

The numbers wāḥid (واحد) “one” and ithnān (اثنان) “two” behave differently from all other numbers:

• They come after the counted noun, not before it.
• They always match the counted noun in gender (masculine with masculine, feminine with feminine).
• They function as an adjective (نعت/صفة) describing the noun, so they take the same case as the noun itself.
• No tamyīz is needed — the noun itself is simply singular (for 1) or dual (for 2).

Examples:

Arabic	English	Note
جاءَ طالبٌ واحدٌ	One (male) student came	masculine noun → masculine number
رسمَتْ ليلى رسمةً واحدةً	Layla drew one drawing	feminine noun → feminine number
عندي كتابان اثنان	I have two books	dual noun, dual number
امرأتان اثنتان	Two women	feminine dual

Grammar note: اثنان / اثنتان is declined like the dual — it takes ال ف (alif) in the nominative (اثنان) and ياء (yāʾ) in the accusative and genitive (اثنين / اثنتين).

2. The Numbers 3 to 10

This is the group learners meet first, and it introduces the most famous rule in Arabic numbers grammar: gender polarity (reverse agreement).

• The number takes the opposite gender of the singular form of the counted noun. A masculine noun takes a feminine-looking number (with ة), and a feminine noun takes a masculine-looking number.
• The counted noun is plural and genitive (مجرور), because the number and noun form an iḍāfah (إضافة) construction. It is parsed as a muḍāf ilayhi (مضاف إليه).
• The number itself is fully declinable and takes its case from its position in the sentence.

Examples:

Arabic	English	Why
ثلاثةُ كتبٍ	Three books	كتاب is masculine → number is feminine (ثلاثة)
سبعُ رواياتٍ	Seven novels	رواية is feminine → number is masculine (سبع)
نجحَ أربعةُ طلابٍ	Four students passed	طالب masculine → أربعة feminine
خمسُ أوراقٍ	Five sheets of paper	ورقة feminine → خمس masculine

Tip: Always check the gender of the singular, not the plural. أوراق looks masculine, but its singular ورقة is feminine — so the number must be masculine (خمس).

Read Also: Numbers in Egyptian Arabic 

3. The Numbers 11 and 12

From 11 to 99, the counted noun changes completely: it is now singular and accusative (منصوب), parsed as a tamyīz (specification).

For 11 and 12 specifically:

• Both parts of the number match the counted noun in gender.
• 11 (أحدَ عشرَ / إحدى عشرةَ) is indeclinable: both parts are fixed on the fatḥah, and the whole number takes its position’s case “in place” (في محل رفع / نصب / جر).
• 12 (اثنا عشرَ / اثنتا عشرةَ) is special: the first part declines like a dual (اثنا in nominative, اثني in accusative/genitive; the nūn is dropped), while the second part (عشر/عشرة) stays fixed on the fatḥah.

Examples:

Arabic	English
وصلَ أحدَ عشرَ لاعبًا	Eleven players arrived
عندي إحدى عشرةَ قصةً	I have eleven stories
اثنا عشرَ نقيبًا	Twelve chiefs
حصلوا على اثنتي عشرةَ جائزةً	They received twelve prizes

Note on the number 10: When عشرة stands alone (as in “ten books”), it opposes the noun’s gender like 3–9. But inside a compound number (11–19), it matches the noun’s gender.

4. The Numbers 13 to 19

The “teen” numbers combine two rules at once:

• The first part (3–9) opposes the counted noun in gender.
• The second part (عشر/عشرة) matches it.
• Both parts are indeclinable on the fatḥah (مبني على فتح الجزأين), and the whole number occupies the case of its position in the sentence.
• The counted noun is singular, accusative — a tamyīz.

Examples:

Arabic	English	Breakdown
ثلاثَ عشرةَ طالبةً	Thirteen (female) students	ثلاث opposes (fem. noun → masc. unit), عشرة matches
سبعةَ عشرَ طالبًا	Seventeen (male) students	سبعة opposes, عشر matches
في الشجرةِ تسعةَ عشرَ غصنًا	The tree has nineteen branches	tamyīz: غصنًا singular accusative

A beautiful Quranic example: إِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ كَوْكَبًا — “Indeed, I saw eleven stars” (Yūsuf 12:4).

Read Also: Diglossia in Arabic

5. The Tens: 20 to 90 (ألفاظ العقود)

The decade words — عشرون، ثلاثون، أربعون … تسعون — are the easiest group:

• They have one fixed form for both masculine and feminine nouns. No gender agreement to worry about.
• They decline like the sound masculine plural: ـونَ in the nominative and ـينَ in the accusative and genitive.
• The counted noun is singular and accusative (tamyīz).

Examples:

Arabic	English
جاءَ خمسونَ طالبًا وخمسونَ طالبةً	Fifty male students and fifty female students came
ادفعْ سبعينَ دينارًا	Pay seventy dinars
في الشهرِ ثلاثونَ يومًا	A month has thirty days

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6. The Conjoined Numbers: 21 to 99

Numbers like 21, 35, and 99 are built with the conjunction و (“and”): “one and twenty,” “five and thirty.”

• Units 1 and 2 → match the counted noun in gender.
• Units 3 to 9 → oppose the counted noun in gender.
• The decade word never changes for gender and declines like a sound masculine plural.
• The counted noun is singular, accusative (tamyīz).
• The unit is fully declinable and the decade word follows its case, since it is joined by و.

Examples:

Arabic	English	Why
واحدٌ وعشرونَ قلمًا	Twenty-one pens	واحد matches masculine قلم
إحدى وأربعونَ غرفةً	Forty-one rooms	إحدى matches feminine غرفة
تسعٌ وتسعونَ شجرةً	Ninety-nine trees	تسع opposes feminine شجرة
ستةٌ وثمانونَ صفًا	Eighty-six classrooms	ستة opposes masculine صف

Read Also: Roman Numerals vs Arabic Numerals

7. The Hundreds, Thousands, and Their Multiples

The numbers مائة/مئة (100) and ألف (1000) and their multiples follow one simple pattern:

• They have one form for masculine and feminine counted nouns.
• The counted noun is singular and genitive (مجرور), because the number and noun form an iḍāfah. It is parsed as مضاف إليه.
• The number declines normally by case, except duals (مائتا / ألفا), which decline like the dual.

Examples:

Arabic	English
معي مائةُ دينارٍ	I have one hundred dinars
جاء ألفُ طالبٍ وألفُ طالبةٍ	A thousand male students and a thousand female students came
نزلَ من السفينةِ ثلاثمائةُ راكبٍ	Three hundred passengers disembarked
حضرَ ألفا شخصٍ	Two thousand people attended

Complex numbers rule: For a long number like 28,061, the counted noun follows the rules of the last number written. Since 61 ends the number, the noun is singular and accusative: ثمانيةٌ وعشرون ألفًا وواحدٌ وستونَ مترًا.

Read Also: Is Al Jazeera learning Arabic free?

Quick Reference: The Counted Noun at a Glance

Feeling overwhelmed by all the categories? Don’t worry — the table below condenses everything we’ve covered into one handy summary.

Whenever you’re unsure how a number should behave, check three things here: the gender rule for the unit, whether the counted noun is singular or plural, and which case it takes. Bookmark this section and return to it until the patterns become second nature.

Numbers	Gender rule (unit)	Counted noun	Case
1–2	Matches	Noun itself (sing./dual), number follows as adjective	Same as noun
3–10	Opposes	Plural	Genitive (مجرور)
11–12	Both parts match	Singular	Accusative (منصوب)
13–19	Unit opposes, ten matches	Singular	Accusative (منصوب)
20–90	One fixed form	Singular	Accusative (منصوب)
21–99	1–2 match; 3–9 oppose	Singular	Accusative (منصوب)
100, 1000+	One fixed form	Singular	Genitive (مجرور)

The number 8 (ثمانٍ / ثماني): With a feminine noun, the yāʾ is dropped when the word is indefinite and nominative or genitive (بناتٌ ثمانٍ), but kept when definite, in iḍāfah, or accusative (الفتيات الثماني، ثمانيَ). With masculine nouns it is always ثمانية.

• بضع (“a few”): Follows the 3–9 rules — it opposes the counted noun in gender: بضعةُ رجالٍ، بضعُ سنينَ.
• كم الاستفهامية (interrogative “how many”): Its tamyīz is singular accusative: كم كتابًا قرأتَ؟
• كم الخبرية (exclamatory “how many!”): Its tamyīz is genitive, often with من: كم من فئةٍ قليلةٍ غلبت فئةً كثيرةً.
• Years: After عام and سنة, the number is genitive as muḍāf ilayhi: عامَ سبعةٍ، سنةَ سبعٍ.

Master Arabic Numbers Grammar Today with Kalimah Center

Numbers appear everywhere — prices, dates, ages, quantities, Quranic verses, and news reports. 

Getting Arabic numbers grammar right instantly elevates both your written and spoken Arabic, and it trains you in three core grammar skills at once: gender agreement, the iḍāfah construction, and the tamyīz.

The fastest way to internalize these rules is guided practice with a teacher who corrects you in real time. 

At Kalimah Center, our native-speaking instructors build number drills into every level, from beginner counting to advanced case endings. 

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Frequently Asked Questions About Arabic Numbers Grammar

Below are concise answers to the questions learners ask most often about Arabic numbers grammar — from gender polarity to the case of the counted noun. If your question isn’t covered here, the team at Kalimah Center is always happy to help in class.