The Arabic Language

Arabic is one of the oldest languages in the world. It is spoken in over 20 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. About 400 million people speak Arabic. It is written from right to left, not left to right like English. Arabic letters look flowing and beautiful.

How Arabic Is Written

Arabic is written from right to left. The alphabet has 28 letters. Letters change shape depending on where they are in a word. Arabic writing is often used as art. This beautiful art of writing is called calligraphy.

An old red stone with early Arabic writing and a camel.
An old red stone with early Arabic writing and a camel. (Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) / Wikimedia Commons)

Arabic Around the World

Arabic is an official language in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco. Many English words come from Arabic. Words like sugar, coffee, and zero started in Arabic. Arabic is also an important language for Muslims around the world. It is the language of the Quran.

Fun Facts

  • Arabic has at least 11 words for the color white.
  • The numbers we use, like 1, 2, and 3, are called Arabic numerals.
  • Arabic has no capital letters.

Did You Know?

The word 'algebra' comes from the Arabic word al-jabr, which means putting back together!