Learning 50 words before you tackle the Arabic alphabet is not a shortcut — it's a strategy. Vocabulary gives you listening comprehension, which makes sounds meaningful, which makes the alphabet learnable. These 50 words are the ones that will come up in every Arabic conversation, every Arab film, and every WhatsApp group with Arab friends. Each word is shown in three ways: the Arabizi spelling (Latin letters with number substitutions), the proper Arabic script, and a pronunciation guide. If you want to see any of these words converted in real time, the Omlyar transliterator is at the bottom of this page.
How to Use This List
The Arabizi column shows how Arabic speakers write the word informally online — using the Franco-Arabic chat alphabet. The numbers stand for Arabic sounds that have no Latin equivalent: 7 = ح (deep h), 3 = ع (ain), 2 = ء (glottal stop). If you see a number in the Arabizi column, it's representing a specific Arabic letter — not decoration.
The Pronunciation column gives an English-reader approximation. Arabic vowels are pure and consistent: "aa" = long 'a' as in "car," "ee" = long 'i' as in "see," "oo" = long 'u' as in "moon."
Greetings & Everyday Phrases
These are the words you'll use every single day — in person, in messages, and in calls. Learn these first.
| English | Arabizi | Arabic | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello / Peace | salam | سلام | sa-LAAM |
| Hello (formal) | marhaba | مرحبا | MAR-ha-ba |
| How are you? (m) | keefak | كيفك | KEE-fak |
| How are you? (f) | keefik | كيفك | KEE-fik |
| I'm fine, praise God | b5air, el7amdulillah | بخير، الحمد لله | bi-KHAIR, al-7am-du-LIL-lah |
| Thank you | shukran | شكراً | SHUK-ran |
| You're welcome | 3afwan | عفواً | AFF-wan |
| Please | min fadlak (m) / min fadlik (f) | من فضلك | min FAD-lak / FAD-lik |
| Sorry / Excuse me | ma3lesh / asif | معلش / آسف | ma-3-LESH / AA-sif |
| Yes / No | aywa / la2 | أيوا / لا | AY-wa / la2 |
| Good morning | saba7 el5air | صباح الخير | sa-BAH el-KHAIR |
| Good evening | masa el5air | مساء الخير | ma-SAA el-KHAIR |
| Goodbye | ma3 essalama | مع السلامة | ma3 es-sa-LAA-ma |
| God willing | inshallah | إن شاء الله | in-SHA-AL-lah |
| Praise be to God | el7amdulillah | الحمد لله | al-7AM-du-LIL-lah |
People & Relationships
Arabic has separate masculine and feminine forms for most nouns. The words below are the most common — the ones that come up within the first few conversations.
| English | Arabizi | Arabic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| My dear (m) | 7abibi | حبيبي | Used for friends, not only romance |
| My dear (f) | 7abibti | حبيبتي | Female form of 7abibi |
| Brother / Friend (m) | akhi / ya akhi | أخي | "Ya akhi" = hey man, very casual |
| Sister / Friend (f) | ukhti | أختي | Used casually among women |
| Mother | umm / mama | أم / ماما | Mama is used in most dialects |
| Father | ab / baba | أب / بابا | Baba is used in most dialects |
| Friend (m) | sa7bi | صاحبي | Levantine / Gulf usage |
| People / Folks | nas | ناس | "El nas" = the people |
Numbers 1–10
Arabic numerals are worth learning early — they come up in prices, phone numbers, addresses, and dates. Note that Arabic also has its own numeral symbols (١٢٣), though the Western numerals (123) are widely used across the Arab world.
| Number | Arabizi | Arabic | Arabic numeral |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wa7ed | واحد | ١ |
| 2 | tnain | اثنان | ٢ |
| 3 | tlata | ثلاثة | ٣ |
| 4 | arba3a | أربعة | ٤ |
| 5 | 5amsa | خمسة | ٥ |
| 6 | sitta | ستة | ٦ |
| 7 | sab3a | سبعة | ٧ |
| 8 | tmanya | ثمانية | ٨ |
| 9 | tis3a | تسعة | ٩ |
| 10 | 3ashra | عشرة | ١٠ |
Food & Drink
Arabic food vocabulary travels well — many of these words are used (or recognised) far outside the Arab world. These are the ones you'll encounter at any Arabic table or restaurant.
| English | Arabizi | Arabic | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | may / miya | ماء / مية | MAA / MEE-ya |
| Food / Meal | akl | أكل | AK-il |
| Bread | 5ubz / 3aish | خبز / عيش | KHUBZ / AY-sh |
| Rice | ruz | رز | RUZZ |
| Meat | la7m | لحم | LA7-m |
| Chicken | djaj / farrouj | دجاج / فروج | da-JAAJ |
| Coffee | qahwa / 2ahwa | قهوة | QAH-wa |
| Tea | shay | شاي | SHAY |
| Delicious | lazeez | لذيذ | la-ZEEZ |
| Enough / Done | 5alas / bass | خلاص / بس | KHA-las / BASS |
Emotions & Reactions
These words are the backbone of everyday conversation — reactions, feelings, and common social expressions that come up constantly in both formal and casual Arabic.
| English | Arabizi | Arabic | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| I love (it/you) | b7ebak / ba7ibbak | بحبك | Levantine; Gulf uses "a7ibak" |
| Happy | mabsoot (m) / mabsoota (f) | مبسوط | Colloquial; MSA uses "sa3eed" |
| Tired | ta3baan (m) / ta3baana (f) | تعبان | Very commonly used |
| Beautiful | jameel (m) / jameela (f) | جميل | For people, places, things |
| Good / Nice | kwayyes / mni7 | كويس / منيح | kwayyes = Egyptian; mni7 = Levantine |
| Let's go | yalla | يلا | Universal; also = hurry up |
| No problem | mafi mushkila / ma fi shi | ما في مشكلة | Gulf / Levantine variants |
Time & Place
These orientation words let you ask where things are, when things happen, and describe basic situations — essential for any real conversation.
| English | Arabizi | Arabic | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now | hala2 / halla | هلأ / هلا | ha-LA2 (Levantine) / HAL-la (Gulf) |
| Today | el yom | اليوم | el-YOOM |
| Tomorrow | bukra / ghadan | بكرا / غداً | BUK-ra (colloquial) / GHA-dan (MSA) |
| Yesterday | mbar7 / ams | مبارح / أمس | m-BAA-ri7 / AMMS |
| Here | hon / hena | هون / هنا | HOON (Levantine) / HE-na (Egyptian) |
| Where? | wayn? / feen? | وين؟ / فين؟ | WAYN (Gulf/Levant) / FEEN (Egyptian) |
| What? | shu? / eh? / shno? | شو؟ / إيه؟ | SHOO (Levant) / EH (Egyptian) / SH-no (Gulf) |
| Why? | laysh? / leeh? | ليش؟ / ليه؟ | LAYSH (Gulf/Levant) / LEE (Egyptian) |
The Dialect Question
You'll notice that several entries above show two or three variants — "kwayyes" vs. "mni7," "wayn" vs. "feen." This is because Arabic has multiple spoken dialects that differ across regions. Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood (due to Egyptian cinema and TV), Levantine Arabic (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine) is common online, and Gulf Arabic dominates in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The good news: the 50 words in this list are either shared across all dialects (yalla, salam, el7amdulillah, inshallah) or vary in predictable ways. Learn the Egyptian or Levantine version first — both are widely understood.
For a deeper look at how dialects affect transliteration, see our guide on Egyptian vs. Levantine vs. Gulf Arabic.
What to Do Next
Fifty words won't make you fluent — but they'll get you through real conversations, make Arabic media more meaningful, and give you a foundation to build on. The next step is learning the Arabic alphabet: once you can connect these sounds to their written forms, the whole system clicks into place.
Until then, use Omlyar to go the other direction: type any of these words in Arabizi (or any Latin-script Arabic you encounter online), and see the proper Arabic script immediately. It's a practical way to reinforce what you're learning.
See Any of These Words in Arabic Script
Type a word from this list — or any Arabizi you know — and Omlyar converts it to proper Arabic script instantly. Free, no account needed.
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