Ever thought about how to survive a week in the Arabic-speaking world? Whether you’re planning a vacation, dabbling in the language, trying to understand Arab culture, or just love picking up fun facts, knowing the days of the week in Arabic is an essential trick up your sleeve. Sit tight and let Playaling explain all the nuances!
Work on Sunday?!
More important than knowing the names of the days in Arabic is realizing that you need to wake up early and go to work on Sunday because that’s the first day of the week in the Arab World. So, say goodbye to your Sunday brunch! Oops, and those late Saturday night outs? You’ll miss them too, but you can enjoy them on Thursday instead, which is the last day of the week in Arab countries. Or on Friday, since Saturday is a holiday too.
The reason behind this is the fact that Friday is a holy day for Muslims, when many faithful go to a mosque to pray, in contrast to Christians, who worship on Sunday, and Jews, who worship on Friday. Therefore, in most Arab countries, the weekend typically falls on Friday and Saturday, although Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates follow the western weekend, which is Saturday and Sunday. Not long ago, Saudi Arabia and Oman actually had their weekend on Thursday and Friday, which they changed in 2013 to have more overlap with their neighbors and the rest of the world.
The days of the week in Arabic
Here are the days of the week in Standard, Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, and Maghrebi Arabic. Listen to them and note how they’re quite similar!
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English
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Standard
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Egyptian
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Levantine
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Gulf
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Maghrebi
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Sunday
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الأَحَدْ
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الحَدْ
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الأَحَدْ
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الأَحَدْ
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الْحْدْ
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Monday
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الاثْنَيْنْ
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الاتْنِيْنْ
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التَنِيْنْ
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الاثْنِيْنْ
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التْنِيْنْ
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Tuesday
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الثُّلَاثَاءْ
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التَّلاَتْ
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التَّلاتَا
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الثَّلَاثْ
الثُلُاثَاءْ
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التْلَاتْ
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Wednesday
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الأَرْبِعَاءْ
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الأَرْبَعْ
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الأَرْبَعَة
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الارْبَعْ
الأَرْبِعَاء
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لَرْبْعْ
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Thursday
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الخَمِيْسْ
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الخَمِيْسْ
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الخَمِيْسْ
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الخَمِيْسْ
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لْخْمِيْسْ
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Friday
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الجُمْعَة
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الجُمْعَة
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الجِمْعَة
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الجُمْعَة
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الجْمْعَة
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Saturday
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السَّبْتْ
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السَّبْتْ
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السَّبْتْ
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السَّبْتْ
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السّْبْتْ
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These days come from numbers
Most of them derive from their order in the week. Once you get a hang of this pattern, you’ll have a nice shortcut to memorizing them.
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Standard Arabic
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Pronunciation
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English
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واحِد wahed
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One
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اثْنَان ithnan
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Two
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ثَلَاثَة thalatha
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Three
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أَرْبَعَة arba’a
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Four
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خَمْسَة khamsa
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Five
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Historical insight: origins of the seven-day week
The seven-day week has its origins in the Middle East, specifically ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 4,000 years ago. It was adopted by the Hebrew calendar and spread to other cultures through the Babylonian Empire and Judaism. When the Roman Empire became Christian, it officially established the seven-day week, designating Sunday as the day of rest and worship, contrasting with Saturday for Jews, and making it a public holiday.
Each monotheistic religion chose a different day of significance: Jews observe Saturday, inspired by the creation narrative in Genesis; Christians celebrate Sunday to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus; and Muslims honor Friday. The Prophet Muhammad emphasized Friday’s importance, saying, “The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday; on it Adam was created, on it he was made to enter Paradise, on it he was expelled from it, and the Last Hour will take place on no other day than Friday” (Sahih Muslim). These choices have significantly shaped the modern weekend.
Understanding the days of the week goes beyond vocabulary—it offers insight into the rhythms of the modern world. In many Arab countries, the weekend starts on Friday, with Sunday marking the beginning of the workweek. This knowledge is crucial for travel, work, or engagement with Arabic-speaking communities.
Aligning your schedule with the local week structure helps avoid closed businesses on weekends, handle official matters effectively, and plan social activities when everyone is available. It prevents social faux pas, such as scheduling gatherings on Fridays when many attend mosque services. Ultimately, mastering the days of the week in Arabic enhances logistical planning and deepens cultural engagement, making your interactions in the Arab world more meaningful and respectful.
Keep visiting Playaling’s blog to learn how to say everything in Arabic!
