🇸🇦 Arabic vocabulary
The 300 most common Arabic words
Learn these first: they make up a big share of everything you'll read. Ranked by frequency, with meanings, romanization and examples for the top 50.
| # | Arabic | Romanization | Meaning | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | لا لا أعرف. — I don't know. | lā | no; not; don't | particle |
| 2 | من أنا من مصر. — I'm from Egypt. | min / man | from; who; of | preposition |
| 3 | في هو في البيت. — He is at home. | fī | in, at | preposition |
| 4 | أن أريد أن أنام. — I want to sleep. | an | that; to (+ verb) | conjunction |
| 5 | هذا هذا كتابي. — This is my book. | hādhā | this (m.) | pronoun |
| 6 | على الكتاب على الطاولة. — The book is on the table. | ʿalā | on; to, against | preposition |
| 7 | ما ما اسمك؟ — What's your name? | mā | what; not | pronoun |
| 8 | أنا أنا طالب. — I am a student. | anā | I | pronoun |
| 9 | هل هل أنت جائع؟ — Are you hungry? | hal | (yes/no question particle) | particle |
| 10 | و أنا وأخي. — My brother and I. | wa | and | conjunction |
| 11 | يا يا أحمد، تعال! — Ahmed, come here! | yā | O, hey (vocative) | particle |
| 12 | ذلك ذلك صعب جداً. — That is very difficult. | dhālika | that (m.) | pronoun |
| 13 | لقد لقد وصلنا. — We've arrived. | laqad | (emphasis + past) indeed, already | particle |
| 14 | لم لم أفهم. — I didn't understand. | lam | did not (+ jussive) | particle |
| 15 | ماذا ماذا تريد؟ — What do you want? | mādhā | what | pronoun |
| 16 | كان كان الجو جميلاً. — The weather was nice. | kāna | was; to be (past) | verb |
| 17 | هنا تعال هنا. — Come here. | hunā | here | adverb |
| 18 | إلى ذهبت إلى السوق. — I went to the market. | ilā | to, towards | preposition |
| 19 | أنت أنت صديقي. — You are my friend. | anta | you (m. sg.) | pronoun |
| 20 | هو هو طبيب. — He is a doctor. | huwa | he, it | pronoun |
| 21 | هذه هذه سيارتي. — This is my car. | hādhihi | this (f.) | pronoun |
| 22 | عن نتحدث عن العمل. — We're talking about work. | ʿan | about; from | preposition |
| 23 | نعم نعم، أفهم. — Yes, I understand. | naʿam | yes | interjection |
| 24 | هناك هناك مشكلة. — There is a problem. | hunāka | there; there is/are | adverb |
| 25 | كل كل يوم أشرب القهوة. — I drink coffee every day. | kull | every, all | determiner |
| 26 | حسناً حسناً، لنذهب. — OK, let's go. | ḥasanan | OK, all right, well | interjection |
| 27 | ليس هذا ليس صحيحاً. — This isn't right. | laysa | is not | verb |
| 28 | كنت كنت في البيت. — I was at home. | kuntu | I was; you were | verb |
| 29 | فقط أريد ماءً فقط. — I just want water. | faqaṭ | only, just | adverb |
| 30 | شيء هل تريد شيئاً؟ — Do you want something? | shayʾ | thing, something | noun |
| 31 | الآن أنا مشغول الآن. — I'm busy now. | al-ān | now | adverb |
| 32 | مع أعيش مع عائلتي. — I live with my family. | maʿa | with | preposition |
| 33 | الذي الرجل الذي رأيته. — The man whom I saw. | alladhī | who, which, that (m.) | pronoun |
| 34 | لكن أريد أن أذهب، لكن ليس عندي وقت. — I want to go, but I don't have time. | lākin | but | conjunction |
| 35 | أجل أجل، بالطبع. — Yes, of course. | ajal | yes, indeed | interjection |
| 36 | يجب يجب أن أذهب. — I have to go. | yajib | must, should | verb |
| 37 | لن لن أنسى. — I won't forget. | lan | will not | particle |
| 38 | كيف كيف حالك؟ — How are you? | kayfa | how | adverb |
| 39 | لي هذا لي. — This is mine. | lī | for me, to me; mine | preposition |
| 40 | سوف سوف أتصل بك. — I'll call you. | sawfa | will (future) | particle |
| 41 | نحن نحن أصدقاء. — We are friends. | naḥnu | we | pronoun |
| 42 | إذا إذا أردت، تعال معي. — If you want, come with me. | idhā | if | conjunction |
| 43 | كانت كانت سعيدة. — She was happy. | kānat | she was; it was | verb |
| 44 | عندما عندما وصلت، كان نائماً. — When I arrived, he was asleep. | ʿindamā | when | conjunction |
| 45 | أي أي كتاب تريد؟ — Which book do you want? | ayy | which, any | pronoun |
| 46 | قد قد يأتي غداً. — He may come tomorrow. | qad | may; (with past) already | particle |
| 47 | لماذا لماذا تأخرت؟ — Why are you late? | limādhā | why | adverb |
| 48 | هي هي معلمة. — She is a teacher. | hiya | she, it | pronoun |
| 49 | الأمر ما الأمر؟ — What's the matter? | al-amr | the matter, the thing | noun |
| 50 | حتى انتظر حتى الغد. — Wait until tomorrow. | ḥattā | until; even | preposition |
| 51 | بعد | baʿda | after; yet | preposition |
| 52 | أو | aw | or | conjunction |
| 53 | قبل | qabla | before | preposition |
| 54 | التي | allatī | who, which, that (f.) | pronoun |
| 55 | ربما | rubbamā | maybe, perhaps | adverb |
| 56 | أين | ayna | where | adverb |
| 57 | هيا | hayyā | come on, let's go | interjection |
| 58 | تلك | tilka | that (f.) | pronoun |
| 59 | أعرف | aʿrif | I know | verb |
| 60 | إن | inna | indeed; if | particle |
| 61 | يكون | yakūn | to be (present/future) | verb |
| 62 | بعض | baʿḍ | some | determiner |
| 63 | أريد | urīd | I want | verb |
| 64 | أعتقد | aʿtaqid | I think, I believe | verb |
| 65 | عليك | ʿalayk | you must; on you | preposition |
| 66 | مثل | mithl | like, such as | preposition |
| 67 | صحيح | ṣaḥīḥ | correct, right; true | adjective |
| 68 | الوقت | al-waqt | the time | noun |
| 69 | بخير | bi-khayr | fine, well | adjective |
| 70 | أعلم | aʿlam | I know | verb |
| 71 | أحد | aḥad | someone, anyone; one | pronoun |
| 72 | شخص | shakhṣ | person | noun |
| 73 | جداً | jiddan | very | adverb |
| 74 | رجل | rajul | man | noun |
| 75 | شكراً | shukran | thank you | interjection |
| 76 | لذا | lidhā | so, therefore | conjunction |
| 77 | يمكن | yumkin | it is possible; can | verb |
| 78 | كما | kamā | as, just as | conjunction |
| 79 | كلا | kallā | no, not at all | interjection |
| 80 | أكثر | akthar | more, most | adjective |
| 81 | يبدو | yabdū | it seems | verb |
| 82 | جيد | jayyid | good | adjective |
| 83 | اليوم | al-yawm | today; the day | noun |
| 84 | يمكنك | yumkinuk | you can | verb |
| 85 | أليس | a-laysa | isn't it? | particle |
| 86 | مرحباً | marḥaban | hello | interjection |
| 87 | لدي | ladayy | I have | preposition |
| 88 | آخر | ākhar | other, another; last | adjective |
| 89 | لست | lastu | I am not; you are not | verb |
| 90 | منذ | mundhu | since; ago | preposition |
| 91 | غير | ghayr | other than, not; un- | particle |
| 92 | حقاً | ḥaqqan | really, truly | adverb |
| 93 | تريد | turīd | you want | verb |
| 94 | أستطيع | astaṭīʿ | I can | verb |
| 95 | تعرف | taʿrif | you know | verb |
| 96 | مرة | marra | time, once | noun |
| 97 | واحد | wāḥid | one | number |
| 98 | الناس | an-nās | people | noun |
| 99 | أفضل | afḍal | better, best | adjective |
| 100 | الكثير | al-kathīr | a lot, many | noun |
| 101 | أيضاً | ayḍan | also, too | adverb |
| 102 | سيدي | sayyidī | sir | noun |
| 103 | مكان | makān | place | noun |
| 104 | تفعل | tafʿal | you do | verb |
| 105 | وقت | waqt | time | noun |
| 106 | آسف | āsif | sorry | adjective |
| 107 | رائع | rāʾiʿ | wonderful, great | adjective |
| 108 | كم | kam | how many, how much | pronoun |
| 109 | إذن | idhan | so, then | conjunction |
| 110 | ثم | thumma | then | conjunction |
| 111 | يوجد | yūjad | there is | verb |
| 112 | قلت | qultu | I said; you said | verb |
| 113 | يحدث | yaḥduth | to happen | verb |
| 114 | بالطبع | bi-ṭ-ṭabʿ | of course | adverb |
| 115 | يوم | yawm | day | noun |
| 116 | أبي | abī | my father, dad | noun |
| 117 | أمي | ummī | my mother, mom | noun |
| 118 | سيد | sayyid | Mr.; master | noun |
| 119 | تعلم | taʿlam | you know | verb |
| 120 | العمل | al-ʿamal | work | noun |
| 121 | الليلة | al-layla | tonight | noun |
| 122 | لهذا | li-hādhā | for this reason | conjunction |
| 123 | فعل | faʿala | to do; (he) did | verb |
| 124 | هكذا | hākadhā | like this, thus | adverb |
| 125 | حول | ḥawla | about, around | preposition |
| 126 | الحقيقة | al-ḥaqīqa | the truth | noun |
| 127 | الجميع | al-jamīʿ | everyone | pronoun |
| 128 | بالتأكيد | bi-t-taʾkīd | certainly, surely | adverb |
| 129 | لأن | li-anna | because | conjunction |
| 130 | خلال | khilāla | during, through | preposition |
| 131 | العالم | al-ʿālam | the world | noun |
| 132 | حال | ḥāl | state, condition | noun |
| 133 | الذهاب | adh-dhahāb | going | noun |
| 134 | أعني | aʿnī | I mean | verb |
| 135 | قال | qāla | he said | verb |
| 136 | هم | hum | they | pronoun |
| 137 | المنزل | al-manzil | the house, home | noun |
| 138 | بشأن | bi-shaʾni | about, concerning | preposition |
| 139 | بين | bayna | between, among | preposition |
| 140 | يعني | yaʿnī | it means; I mean | verb |
| 141 | مجرد | mujarrad | just, merely | adjective |
| 142 | أظن | aẓunn | I think | verb |
| 143 | فكرة | fikra | idea | noun |
| 144 | أم | am | or (in questions); mother | conjunction |
| 145 | متى | matā | when | adverb |
| 146 | المال | al-māl | money | noun |
| 147 | أقول | aqūl | I say | verb |
| 148 | عمل | ʿamal | work; to work | noun |
| 149 | أبداً | abadan | never; ever | adverb |
| 150 | أمر | amr | matter; order | noun |
| 151 | توقف | tawaqqaf | stop!; to stop | verb |
| 152 | هؤلاء | hāʾulāʾ | these, those (people) | pronoun |
| 153 | انظر | unẓur | look! | verb |
| 154 | الطريق | aṭ-ṭarīq | the road, the way | noun |
| 155 | أشعر | ashʿur | I feel | verb |
| 156 | الحياة | al-ḥayāh | life | noun |
| 157 | نفس | nafs | same; self | noun |
| 158 | بحاجة | bi-ḥāja | in need (of) | adjective |
| 159 | بسبب | bi-sabab | because of | preposition |
| 160 | الذين | alladhīna | who (pl.) | pronoun |
| 161 | بدون | bidūn | without | preposition |
| 162 | أرى | arā | I see | verb |
| 163 | عند | ʿinda | at, with; when | preposition |
| 164 | حيث | ḥaythu | where; since | conjunction |
| 165 | دائماً | dāʾiman | always | adverb |
| 166 | تحت | taḥta | under, below | preposition |
| 167 | تعال | taʿāl | come! | verb |
| 168 | بالفعل | bi-l-fiʿl | indeed, actually | adverb |
| 169 | بل | bal | but rather | conjunction |
| 170 | من فضلك | min faḍlik | please | interjection |
| 171 | الأشياء | al-ashyāʾ | things | noun |
| 172 | ليلة | layla | night | noun |
| 173 | مشكلة | mushkila | problem | noun |
| 174 | أرجوك | arjūk | please, I beg you | interjection |
| 175 | أذهب | adhhab | I go | verb |
| 176 | يريد | yurīd | he wants | verb |
| 177 | تماماً | tamāman | completely, exactly | adverb |
| 178 | الوحيد | al-waḥīd | the only (one) | adjective |
| 179 | قتل | qatala | to kill | verb |
| 180 | عزيزتي | ʿazīzatī | my dear (f.) | noun |
| 181 | الشرطة | ash-shurṭa | the police | noun |
| 182 | أحب | uḥibb | I love, I like | verb |
| 183 | أردت | aradtu | I wanted | verb |
| 184 | النار | an-nār | fire | noun |
| 185 | سمعت | samiʿtu | I heard | verb |
| 186 | جميع | jamīʿ | all | determiner |
| 187 | قليلاً | qalīlan | a little | adverb |
| 188 | انتظر | intaẓir | wait! | verb |
| 189 | فتاة | fatāh | girl | noun |
| 190 | كبير | kabīr | big; old | adjective |
| 191 | يعرف | yaʿrif | he knows | verb |
| 192 | الرجال | ar-rijāl | men | noun |
| 193 | السبب | as-sabab | the reason | noun |
| 194 | سنوات | sanawāt | years | noun |
| 195 | الباب | al-bāb | the door | noun |
| 196 | نذهب | nadhhab | we go | verb |
| 197 | دون | dūna | without | preposition |
| 198 | حياتي | ḥayātī | my life | noun |
| 199 | لابد | lā budda | must, it's necessary | adverb |
| 200 | السيارة | as-sayyāra | the car | noun |
| 201 | خارج | khārij | outside | preposition |
| 202 | ثلاثة | thalātha | three | number |
| 203 | اذهب | idhhab | go! | verb |
| 204 | يقول | yaqūl | he says | verb |
| 205 | الواقع | al-wāqiʿ | reality; in fact | noun |
| 206 | كثيراً | kathīran | a lot, often | adverb |
| 207 | أحتاج | aḥtāj | I need | verb |
| 208 | نوع | nawʿ | kind, type | noun |
| 209 | جميلة | jamīla | beautiful (f.) | adjective |
| 210 | دولار | dūlār | dollar | noun |
| 211 | جديد | jadīd | new | adjective |
| 212 | بالضبط | bi-ḍ-ḍabṭ | exactly | adverb |
| 213 | المدينة | al-madīna | the city | noun |
| 214 | جميل | jamīl | beautiful, nice | adjective |
| 215 | بسرعة | bi-surʿa | quickly | adverb |
| 216 | الأرض | al-arḍ | the earth, the ground | noun |
| 217 | لحظة | laḥẓa | moment | noun |
| 218 | طريقة | ṭarīqa | way, method | noun |
| 219 | سعيد | saʿīd | happy | adjective |
| 220 | دقيقة | daqīqa | minute | noun |
| 221 | غرفة | ghurfa | room | noun |
| 222 | ثانية | thāniya | second | noun |
| 223 | دعني | daʿnī | let me | verb |
| 224 | بينما | baynamā | while | conjunction |
| 225 | نفسي | nafsī | myself | pronoun |
| 226 | عام | ʿām | year; general | noun |
| 227 | ساعة | sāʿa | hour; clock, watch | noun |
| 228 | الله | allāh | God | noun |
| 229 | ترى | tarā | you see | verb |
| 230 | مهلاً | mahlan | wait, slow down | interjection |
| 231 | الخير | al-khayr | good; goodness | noun |
| 232 | متأكد | mutaʾakkid | sure, certain | adjective |
| 233 | الموت | al-mawt | death | noun |
| 234 | رقم | raqm | number | noun |
| 235 | سيارة | sayyāra | car | noun |
| 236 | مجدداً | mujaddadan | again | adverb |
| 237 | المزيد | al-mazīd | more | noun |
| 238 | أتمنى | atamannā | I hope, I wish | verb |
| 239 | مات | māta | he died | verb |
| 240 | طريق | ṭarīq | road, way | noun |
| 241 | وجدت | wajadtu | I found | verb |
| 242 | أول | awwal | first | adjective |
| 243 | إلا | illā | except; only | particle |
| 244 | صباح | ṣabāḥ | morning | noun |
| 245 | الرئيس | ar-raʾīs | the president; the boss | noun |
| 246 | فرصة | furṣa | chance, opportunity | noun |
| 247 | يكفي | yakfī | enough | verb |
| 248 | علاقة | ʿalāqa | relationship | noun |
| 249 | صغيرة | ṣaghīra | small (f.) | adjective |
| 250 | غريب | gharīb | strange; stranger | adjective |
| 251 | المدرسة | al-madrasa | the school | noun |
| 252 | أفهم | afham | I understand | verb |
| 253 | حين | ḥīna | when; time | conjunction |
| 254 | صديقي | ṣadīqī | my friend | noun |
| 255 | أخبرني | akhbirnī | tell me | verb |
| 256 | الأطفال | al-aṭfāl | the children | noun |
| 257 | سنة | sana | year | noun |
| 258 | نهاية | nihāya | end | noun |
| 259 | أفكر | ufakkir | I think | verb |
| 260 | أود | awadd | I would like | verb |
| 261 | عشر | ʿashr | ten | number |
| 262 | الحب | al-ḥubb | love | noun |
| 263 | معاً | maʿan | together | adverb |
| 264 | جديدة | jadīda | new (f.) | adjective |
| 265 | قالت | qālat | she said | verb |
| 266 | عزيزي | ʿazīzī | my dear (m.) | noun |
| 267 | رؤية | ruʾya | seeing; vision | noun |
| 268 | ينبغي | yanbaghī | should, ought to | verb |
| 269 | الطفل | aṭ-ṭifl | the child | noun |
| 270 | تحتاج | taḥtāj | you need | verb |
| 271 | اسمع | ismaʿ | listen! | verb |
| 272 | أكبر | akbar | bigger, biggest; older | adjective |
| 273 | فهمت | fahimtu | I understood; got it | verb |
| 274 | البيت | al-bayt | the house, home | noun |
| 275 | والدك | wālidak | your father | noun |
| 276 | مهما | mahmā | whatever, no matter | conjunction |
| 277 | العودة | al-ʿawda | return, going back | noun |
| 278 | لطيف | laṭīf | nice, kind | adjective |
| 279 | السجن | as-sijn | prison | noun |
| 280 | الليل | al-layl | night | noun |
| 281 | أخي | akhī | my brother | noun |
| 282 | طويلة | ṭawīla | long (f.) | adjective |
| 283 | الهاتف | al-hātif | the phone | noun |
| 284 | عبر | ʿabra | across, through | preposition |
| 285 | أيام | ayyām | days | noun |
| 286 | أحبك | uḥibbuk | I love you | verb |
| 287 | الطعام | aṭ-ṭaʿām | food | noun |
| 288 | الماضي | al-māḍī | the past; last | noun |
| 289 | أصبح | aṣbaḥa | to become | verb |
| 290 | وضع | waḍaʿa | to put; situation | verb |
| 291 | طفل | ṭifl | child | noun |
| 292 | فوق | fawqa | above, over | preposition |
| 293 | داخل | dākhil | inside | preposition |
| 294 | خطأ | khaṭaʾ | mistake; wrong | noun |
| 295 | منزل | manzil | house | noun |
| 296 | طويل | ṭawīl | long; tall | adjective |
| 297 | نصف | niṣf | half | noun |
| 298 | أخذ | akhadha | to take | verb |
| 299 | الماء | al-māʾ | water | noun |
| 300 | لاحقاً | lāḥiqan | later | adverb |
Frequency ranking based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords).
Questions
What are the most common Arabic words?
The top ten are لا (no; not; don't), من (from; who; of), في (in), أن (that; to (+ verb)), هذا (this (m.)), على (on; to), ما (what; not), أنا (I), هل ((yes/no question particle)), و (and).
How many Arabic words do I need to know?
The few hundred most frequent words make up a large share of any everyday text, which is why they're the best place to start. To read graded stories comfortably you need roughly 1,000–2,000; for unadapted books, several thousand. Test yourself with the Arabic vocabulary size test.
Where does this list come from?
The ranking is based on OpenSubtitles 2018 subtitles (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), cleaned by hand to remove names, fragments and noise, with meanings added for learners.