Days of the Week and Months in Arabic (With Pronunciation)

The days of the week in Arabic are الأحد (al-aHad, Sunday), الاثنين (al-ithnayn, Monday), الثلاثاء (ath-thulaathaaʾ, Tuesday), الأربعاء (al-arbiʿaaʾ, Wednesday), الخميس (al-khamees, Thursday), الجمعة (al-jumuʿa, Friday), and السبت (as-sabt, Saturday). The Arabic week starts on Sunday, and Friday is the main day of worship across the Arab world.

This guide covers both the days and the months in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), the shared form understood from Morocco to the Gulf. You will also learn the 12 Islamic (Hijri) months, since the Arab world uses two calendars side by side. Each word comes with its Arabic script, transliteration, and meaning.

What are the days of the week in Arabic?

The seven days of the week in Arabic run from Sunday to Saturday. The word for “day” is يَوْم (yawm), and “week” is أُسْبوع (usbuuʿ).

Why are most Arabic weekdays named after numbers?

Five of the seven Arabic weekdays are named after numbers, which makes them easy to remember once you know how to count. الأَحَد (al-aHad) comes from “one,” الاثْنَيْن (al-ithnayn) from “two,” الثُّلاثاء (ath-thulaathaaʾ) from “three,” الأَرْبِعاء (al-arbiʿaaʾ) from “four,” and الخَميس (al-khamees) from “five.” If you already know the Arabic numbers 1 to 100, you have effectively learned most of the week for free.

The last two days are named for their meaning rather than a number. الجُمُعة (al-jumuʿa) means “the gathering,” after the Friday congregational prayer, and السَّبْت (as-sabt) shares a root with “sabbath,” meaning “rest.” In much of the Arab world the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, though the exact days differ from country to country.

What are the months of the year in Arabic?

The most widely recognized Arabic names for the twelve Gregorian months are Arabized versions of the European names, used across Egypt, the Gulf, and North Africa. The word for “month” is شَهْر (shahr).

Do all Arabic countries use the same month names?

No — the Levant and Iraq use an older set of month names derived from Aramaic, so it helps to recognize both. If you plan to spend time in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, or Iraq, these are the names you will see on calendars and hear in the news.

What are the 12 Islamic (Hijri) months?

The Islamic, or Hijri, calendar has 12 lunar months and is used across the Arab world for religious dates and holidays. Because it follows the phases of the moon, the Hijri year is about 354 days — roughly 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year — so Islamic dates shift earlier each year relative to the Western calendar.

Two Hijri months are especially well known: رَمَضان (ramaDaan), the ninth month, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, and ذو الحِجّة (dhuu al-Hijja), the twelfth, when the Hajj pilgrimage takes place. The Islamic New Year begins on the first of المُحَرَّم (al-muHarram).

Which Arabic words help you talk about dates?

A handful of everyday words let you place events in time and connect the days and months above into real sentences. These are among the first time-related words worth memorizing.

How do you ask what day it is in Arabic?

To ask what day it is, say ما هُوَ اليَوْم؟ (maa huwa al-yawm?, “what is today?”). A natural reply follows the pattern اليَوْم هُوَ… (al-yawm huwa…, “today is…”), for example اليَوْم هُوَ الجُمُعة (al-yawm huwa al-jumuʿa, “today is Friday”). To ask about the month, use أيّ شَهْر؟ (ayyu shahr?, “which month?”).

Building on these dates is easy once you have the core vocabulary in place. If you are just getting started, pair this guide with the 50 most common Arabic words for beginners so you can drop the days and months straight into simple sentences.

How do you remember the days and months for good?

You remember the days and months by reviewing them a few at a time, hearing them spoken, and letting a schedule resurface each one just before you would forget it. Reading a table once is not enough — the words stick when you meet them again on the right day.

That is exactly how Kalam Daily works: a new word every day, native-speaker audio so you learn each name by ear, and spaced repetition that handles the review schedule for you. Start with the seven days this week, add the months next, and you will be reading Arabic calendars before the month is out. For everything else worth learning along the way, browse our guide to every topic on the site.