Digits 0–10
Match each shape to one value and one spoken word.
★
Learning outcomes
By the end of this lesson أَهْدَافُ التَّعَلُّمِ
This is a digit-and-sound lesson. Full number–noun agreement belongs later; today the priority is accurate recognition, formation, sequence and oral recall.
Random 11–20
Move beyond the memorised counting chain.
Place value to 100
Decode two- and three-digit figures before naming them.
Compare usage
Notice which digit set is used in family, regional and online contexts.
Route overview
This Lesson’s Journey
Ten digit shapes
Convert between ٠–٩ and 0–9 without reversing or confusing five with zero.
Go to digit recognition →Write clearly
Form separate, unjoined digits and keep ٠، ٥، ٦ and ٧ distinct.
Go to digit formation →Count 0–20
Recall number names in sequence and respond to a random numeral.
Go to number names →Read real numbers
Keep the internal order of multi-digit numerals in signs, prices, scores and dates.
Go to real numbers →R
Retrieval bridge
Retrieve before you count مُرَاجَعَةٌ سَرِيعَةٌ
Four questions reactivate the reading marks from F1-L06. Answer once from memory, then use the explanation.
Retrieval quiz · Marks and sounds
First attempt counts. Reset creates a clean retry.
1
See and place
Two related digit sets شَكْلَانِ لِلْأَرْقَامِ
The forms taught here are often called Eastern Arabic-Indic digits in English and الأَرْقَامُ الهِنْدِيَّةُ in Arabic. Usage varies: many Arab countries and digital platforms also use Western 0–9.
One family, different branches: Western digits 0–9 and
Eastern Arabic-Indic digits ٠–٩ are related descendants of the
Hindu-Arabic place-value system. Indian mathematics developed the system; Arabic-language scholarship helped
transmit and develop it; regional shapes later diverged.
Digit reference
| Western | Eastern Arabic-Indic | Formation cue | Common confusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ٠ | A small dot-like zero. | Do not enlarge it into ٥. |
| 1 | ١ | One upright stroke. | Usually the easiest match. |
| 2 | ٢ | Hooked top, then down. | Separate it from ٣. |
| 3 | ٣ | Two top humps, then down. | Count the humps. |
| 4 | ٤ | Angular open form. | It can resemble a reversed 3. |
| 5 | ٥ | A small ring. | The ring is five; ٠ is zero. |
| 6 | ٦ | Curved hook with a stem. | It may look like Western 7. |
| 7 | ٧ | Open V shape. | Pair it with ٨. |
| 8 | ٨ | Pointed cap shape. | It is the inverted partner of ٧. |
| 9 | ٩ | Rounded head and descending stroke. | Close to Western 9. |
Direction without reversal
An Arabic sentence runs right-to-left, but a multi-digit numeral keeps its own internal numeric order. In normal display, the highest place value is on the left:
١٥fifteen, not fifty-one
→
١1 ten
٥5 ones
On a web page, isolating digit runs with left-to-right direction prevents bidirectional layout surprises. Read the Arabic sentence around the number right-to-left.
Four high-value contrasts
٠zero · dot
٥five · ring
٦six · hook
٧seven · V
Do not use appearance alone. Say the value while forming
the digit: “dot—zero, ring—five, hook—six, V—seven.”
Formation strip · trace, cover, reproduce
Digits are separate symbols: they do not join to neighbouring digits or letters. Trace once with your finger, copy once while looking, then cover and write from memory.
٠zero
١one
٢two
٣three
٤four
٥five
٦six
٧seven
٨eight
٩nine
Write clearly
Write separate, unjoined digits with enough distinction between ٠، ٥، ٦، ٧.
Type, write or draw the numerals from memory. Keep each digit separate and unjoined.
Write with a mouse, finger or pen. Handwriting is not recognised or scored automatically.
Complete this task on paper, then return here to check or record your result.
Not yet marked complete.
Game 1 · Digit Pair Sprint
Select one Eastern Arabic-Indic digit and its Western partner. Finish all ten with as few attempts as possible.
Start the game to shuffle both columns.
2
Name the value
Count from zero to ten مِنْ صِفْرٍ إِلَى عَشَرَةٍ
Read the digit first, then attach the spoken word. The fully vowelled forms support decoding; in natural pause, final case endings are often not pronounced.
Core number words
| Value | Numeral | Arabic word | Careful reading cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ٠ | صِفْرٌ | ṣifr |
| 1 | ١ | وَاحِدٌ | wāḥid |
| 2 | ٢ | اِثْنَانِ | ithnān |
| 3 | ٣ | ثَلَاثَةٌ | thalāthah |
| 4 | ٤ | أَرْبَعَةٌ | arbaʿah |
| 5 | ٥ | خَمْسَةٌ | khamsah |
| 6 | ٦ | سِتَّةٌ | sittah · hear the doubled t |
| 7 | ٧ | سَبْعَةٌ | sabʿah |
| 8 | ٨ | ثَمَانِيَةٌ | thamāniyah |
| 9 | ٩ | تِسْعَةٌ | tisʿah |
| 10 | ١٠ | عَشَرَةٌ | ʿasharah |
Decode, do not guess
ثَلَاثَةٌ and ثَمَانِيَةٌ both begin with ثَ. Read beyond the first syllable.
Hear the middle
سَبْعَةٌ is seven; تِسْعَةٌ is nine. Listen for sab- versus tis-.
Keep the shadda
سِتَّةٌ has تَّ. Hold the /t/ boundary; do not reduce it to a single consonant.
Three-pass drill: (1) count forward 0–10, (2) count backward
10–0, (3) answer random flashes. Only pass 3 proves that you know each number rather than one memorised
chain.
Game 2 · Figure Flash
Read the numeral in place-value order and choose its Western equivalent.
Press start when the reference table is covered.
3
Hear the pattern
Numbers eleven to twenty مِنْ أَحَدَ عَشَرَ إِلَى عِشْرِينَ
For standalone classroom counting, 11–19 place the unit element before the ten element. Twenty is a new tens word. The forms below are models for naming numerals, not the full number–noun agreement system.
Build and read 11–20
| Value | Numeral | Standalone counting form | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | ١١ | أَحَدَ عَشَرَ | one + ten |
| 12 | ١٢ | اِثْنَا عَشَرَ | two + ten |
| 13 | ١٣ | ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ | three + ten |
| 14 | ١٤ | أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ | four + ten |
| 15 | ١٥ | خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ | five + ten |
| 16 | ١٦ | سِتَّةَ عَشَرَ | six + ten |
| 17 | ١٧ | سَبْعَةَ عَشَرَ | seven + ten |
| 18 | ١٨ | ثَمَانِيَةَ عَشَرَ | eight + ten |
| 19 | ١٩ | تِسْعَةَ عَشَرَ | nine + ten |
| 20 | ٢٠ | عِشْرُونَ | a tens word |
11 and 12 need their own start
Do not build 11 from وَاحِدٌ. The standalone form begins أَحَدَ. Twelve begins اِثْنَا; its form changes with grammatical case later.
13–19 show a reusable rhythm
Unit element + عَشَرَ. Tap once for each element: خَمْسَةَ | عَشَرَ. Keep it as one number, not an addition sum.
Accuracy boundary: Arabic number words change with noun
gender and grammatical case. For example, age phrases with سَنَة do not simply
copy every standalone form in this table. At Foundation level, first master numeral recognition and
standalone counting; agreement is taught explicitly in the numeracy/grammar pathway.
4
Apply and listen
Real-world number lab الأَرْقَامُ حَوْلَنَا
The same digit knowledge transfers across contexts, but what you say can differ: a quantity is a number word, while phone digits and codes are usually read one digit at a time.
:السِّعْرُ ١٥
Price
Read the whole value: fifteen. Currency words come after the number.
الغُرْفَةُ ١٠٤
Room or code
Use place value if it is a number; contexts may also read codes digit by digit.
النَّتِيجَةُ ٢–١
Score
Read each side in display order: two–one.
السَّاعَةُ ٨:٣٠
Digital time
Recognise the hour and minute groups; full time expressions come later.
Partner call-and-write
🎧 Recorded audio.
Listen without looking. Write each Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral in order.
Listening script
ثَلَاثَةٌ. سَبْعَةٌ. عَشَرَةٌ. خَمْسَةَ
عَشَرَ. عِشْرُونَ.
Check answers
٣، ٧، ١٠، ١٥، ٢٠.
- Partner A secretly chooses five more values from 0–20.
- A says each Arabic number word once, then repeats once.
- Partner B writes the Eastern Arabic-Indic numeral.
- Compare, correct one digit at a time, then swap.
Evidence: five figures and a corrected score.
Number or digit string?
- Quantity: ١٥ books → read as one whole number.
- Telephone: ٠١٢٣ → normally say each digit separately.
- Year: conventions vary; use the model taught for the context.
- Code: room and bus numbers may be treated as labels rather than quantities.
Game 3 · Live Caller Bingo
Generate a 3×3 board. A partner calls Arabic number words from 0–20; tap the matching numeral. Three in a row wins.
Generate a board to play.
+
Extension
See the route from 20 to 100 مِنْ عِشْرِينَ إِلَى مِائَةٍ
Use this extension to read two- and three-digit numerals. Secure 0–20 first; the complete grammar and use of 21–99 belongs in the dedicated numeracy lesson.
Tens landmarks
٢٠عِشْرُونَ20
٣٠ثَلَاثُونَ30
٤٠أَرْبَعُونَ40
٥٠خَمْسُونَ50
٦٠سِتُّونَ60
٧٠سَبْعُونَ70
٨٠ثَمَانُونَ80
٩٠تِسْعُونَ90
١٠٠مِائَةٌ100
Read the figure before the word
٧٢ has 7 tens and 2 ones: seventy-two. The digits are not reversed because Arabic names many compound numbers with the unit first.
Figure: ٢٥ = 25. Arabic word
order: خَمْسَةٌ وَعِشْرُونَ, literally “five and twenty.”
Figure order and spoken word order are different systems.
Three-digit recognition
Use place-value boxes even if the full spoken phrase is not yet secure.
١٠٤one hundred and four
→
١hundreds
٠tens
٤ones
Regional note: Persian and Urdu use related but not
identical shapes for some digits, and North African usage often favours Western digits. Recognise variation
without labelling one modern regional practice as the only “authentic” Arabic system.
✓
Independent evidence
Final mastery check تَحَقَّقْ مِنْ تَقَدُّمِكَ
Ten mixed questions sample shape, word, place value, direction and context. Aim for 8/10 before moving to F1-L08.
Final quiz · Numeral mastery
Choose once, read the explanation, and record the category of any error.
Reflection
This note stays only while the page is open.
Not yet marked complete.
Homework: write 1–20 once as Eastern Arabic-Indic numerals
and once as Arabic words. Cover the model and repeat the five hardest items from memory. Then write your
age, house or room number, and a memorable year using Eastern Arabic-Indic digits; label each context in
English so the digit sequence can be checked safely.
Can-do exit ticket
Not yet marked complete.