Arabic ordinal numbers
First, second and third in Arabic come from the same roots as one, two and three (except first), take one regular shape, and agree with their noun like any adjective.
Updated 8 October 2026
First to tenth
| Ordinal | Masculine | Said | Feminine | Said |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. first | الأول | al-awwal | الأولى | al-ūlā |
| 2. second | الثاني | ath-thānī | الثانية | ath-thāniya |
| 3. third | الثالث | ath-thālith | الثالثة | ath-thālitha |
| 4. fourth | الرابع | ar-rābiʿ | الرابعة | ar-rābiʿa |
| 5. fifth | الخامس | al-khāmis | الخامسة | al-khāmisa |
| 6. sixth | السادس | as-sādis | السادسة | as-sādisa |
| 7. seventh | السابع | as-sābiʿ | السابعة | as-sābiʿa |
| 8. eighth | الثامن | ath-thāmin | الثامنة | ath-thāmina |
| 9. ninth | التاسع | at-tāsiʿ | التاسعة | at-tāsiʿa |
| 10. tenth | العاشر | al-ʿāshir | العاشرة | al-ʿāshira |
With the article, the l of al- merges into some consonants that follow it (the sun letters): ath-thānī, ar-rābiʿ, as-sādis, at-tāsiʿ. It is still written ال.
Eleventh and beyond
- 11th: الحادي عشر, feminine الحادية عشرة. The unit takes the special form حادي.
- 12th: الثاني عشر, feminine الثانية عشرة.
- 13th to 19th: the ordinal of the unit, then عشر: الثالث عشر, التاسع عشر.
- 20th, 30th: the ten with the article, العشرون, الثلاثون.
- 21st: الحادي والعشرون; 25th: الخامس والعشرون. The unit still comes first.
Where you meet them
Floors (الطابق الثالث, the third floor), chapters and lessons (الدرس الخامس), school years (الصف السادس, sixth grade), and the clock, where the hour is an ordinal agreeing with the feminine ساعة: الساعة الرابعة, four o’clock. The clock is on days, dates and time, and the cardinals that the ordinals come from are on 1 to 10.
Questions
How do you say first in Arabic?
أول (awwal), with the article الأول (al-awwal) for the first one; the feminine is أولى, الأولى (al-ūlā). It is the one ordinal that does not come from its cardinal: one is واحد, but first comes from a different root. In 11th and 21st another form appears: الحادي عشر, الحادي والعشرون.
Do ordinals take the opposite gender like the numbers?
No. Ordinals are adjectives and agree with their noun in gender, as adjectives do: الدرس الثالث (the third lesson, masculine), الساعة الثالثة (the third hour, three o’clock, feminine). That makes them easier than the cardinals from 3 to 10.
How are ordinals made from the numbers?
From 2 to 10 they follow the pattern fāʿil on the root of the number: th-l-th gives thālith (third), kh-m-s gives khāmis (fifth). Sixth takes the root s-d-s, which is hidden in the cardinal ستة. Above ten the tens themselves serve as ordinals with the article: العشرون, the twentieth.