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100 Essential Arabic Words for Beginners

Everyday Arabic starts with words like مرحبا (hello), شكرا (thank you), ماء (water) and أكل (to eat). Below are 100 beginner words in 9 groups — greetings & basics, people & family, everyday verbs, describing words, colors, numbers, time, food & drink and home — each with its English meaning and its pronunciation in Latin letters.

Key takeaways

  • Arabic is written in the Arabic script, written right to left, so every word below has its pronunciation beside it in Latin letters. For example, مرحبا is read “marhaba”.
  • You can already count to three: واحد (one), اثنان (two) and ثلاثة (three).
  • The longest word here is بعد الظهر (afternoon).
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Greetings & basics

16 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
helloمرحباmarhabainterjection
goodbyeوداعاwada'aninterjection
yesنعمna'aminterjection
noلاlainterjection
pleaseمن فضلكmin fadlikinterjection
thank youشكراshukraninterjection
sorryآسفasifinterjection
andوwaconjunction
butلكنlakinconjunction
orأوawconjunction
becauseلأنli'annaconjunction
hereهناhunaadverb
thereهناكhunakaadverb
alwaysدائماًda'imanadverb
neverأبداًabadanadverb
togetherمعاًma'anadverb

People & family

14 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
manرجلrajulnoun
womanامرأةimra'anoun
boyولدwaladnoun
girlبنتbintnoun
friendصديقsadiqnoun
motherأمummnoun
fatherأبabnoun
brotherأخakhnoun
sisterأختukhtnoun
sonابنibnnoun
daughterابنةibnanoun
childطفلtiflnoun
husbandزوجzawjnoun
wifeزوجةzawjanoun

Everyday verbs

16 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
to beكانkanverb
to haveامتلكimtalakverb
to doأدّىaddaverb
to goذهبdhahabverb
to comeأتىataverb
to eatأكلakalaverb
to drinkشربsharibaverb
to wantأرادaradverb
to needاحتاجihtajaverb
to knowعرف'arafaverb
to speakتكلمtakallamverb
to readقرأqara'averb
to writeكتبkatabverb
to listenاستمعistama'verb
to workاشتغلishtaghalverb
to buyاشترىishtaraverb

Describing words

10 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
goodجيدjayyidadjective
badسيئsayyi'adjective
newجديدjadidadjective
oldمسنmusinnadjective
youngشابshabbadjective
tallطويلtawiladjective
shortقصيرqasiradjective
niceلطيفlatifadjective
kindطيبtayyibadjective
shyخجولkhajuladjective

Colors

8 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
redأحمرahmaradjective
blueأزرقazraqadjective
greenأخضرakhdaradjective
yellowأصفرasfaradjective
blackأسودaswadadjective
whiteأبيضabyadadjective
orangeبرتقاليburtuqaliadjective
purpleأرجوانيurjuwaniadjective

Numbers

12 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
oneواحدwahidnumber
twoاثنانithnannumber
threeثلاثةthalathanumber
fourأربعةarba'anumber
fiveخمسةkhamsanumber
sixستةsittanumber
sevenسبعةsab'anumber
eightثمانيةthamaniyanumber
nineتسعةtis'anumber
tenعشرة'asharanumber
zeroصفرsifrnumber
twentyعشرون'ishrunnumber

Time

10 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
todayاليومal-yawmadverb
tomorrowغداghadanadverb
yesterdayأمسamsadverb
morningصباحsabahnoun
afternoonبعد الظهرba'd az-zuhrnoun
eveningمساءmasa'noun
nightليلlaylnoun
dayيومyawmnoun
weekأسبوعusbu'noun
monthشهرshahrnoun

Food & drink

10 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
waterماءma'noun
coffeeقهوةqahwanoun
teaشايshaynoun
milkحليبhalibnoun
breadخُبْزkhubznoun
cheeseجبنjubnnoun
fruitفاكهةfakihanoun
appleتفاحةtuffahanoun
eggبيضةbaydanoun
riceأرزaruzznoun

Home

4 words
EnglishArabicPronunciationType
houseبيتbaytnoun
doorبابbabnoun
windowنافذةnafidhanoun
bedسريرsarirnoun

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Learn these Arabic words for good

Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch

A list is where learning starts, not where it ends. Watch Your Language puts Arabic words like these on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, so you see a few every time you check the time, and it schedules the repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.

You can add your own words too, from a photo, a page of notes or a spreadsheet.

Download on the App Store

Keep going with Arabic

Arabic vocabulary testFind your level How long does Arabic take to learn?A realistic plan

Arabic for beginners questions

What are the first Arabic words to learn?

Start with the words you use every day: greetings, numbers, the days and times, food, family and a handful of verbs. For Arabic that means words like مرحبا (hello), شكرا (thank you), ماء (water) and أكل (to eat). The list above groups 100 of them by topic.

Do I need to learn the Arabic script before these words?

You can start without it: Arabic is written in the Arabic script, written right to left, and every word here has a pronunciation in Latin letters beside it so you can sound it out. Learning the script soon after is still worth it, because real signs, menus and messages are not romanised. Treat the Latin-letter pronunciation as a guide to the sound, and listen to the language as well.

Is 100 words enough to speak Arabic?

No. This is a starting set: enough to greet people, count, talk about time, name food and family, and say what you want or need. Conversation needs more words, and above all hearing and using them. Treat the list as the first step, then add words from topics you care about.

How do I remember these Arabic words?

Read a few at a time, say them out loud, and come back to them on a schedule rather than once. Watch Your Language puts words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting more often.

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