The days of the week are easy to learn because most of them are based on Arabic numbers.
The seven days
| English | Arabic | Say it | Linked to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | الأَحَد | al-ahad | one (wahid / ahad) |
| Monday | الاِثْنَيْن | al-ithnayn | two (ithnan) |
| Tuesday | الثُّلَاثَاء | ath-thulatha’ | three (thalatha) |
| Wednesday | الأَرْبِعَاء | al-arbi‘a’ | four (arba‘a) |
| Thursday | الخَمِيس | al-khamis | five (khamsa) |
| Friday | الجُمُعَة | al-jumu‘ah | gathering (for the Jumu’ah prayer) |
| Saturday | السَّبْت | as-sabt | rest |
The number trick
If your child knows the numbers one to five, they already know most of the week. Sunday is “day one”, Monday “day two”, through to Thursday, “day five”.
Useful phrases
- الْيَوْمَ al-yawm: today
- غَدًا ghadan: tomorrow
- أَمْسِ ams: yesterday
- الْيَوْمَ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ: Today is Friday.
A daily habit
Every morning at breakfast, ask مَا الْيَوْمُ؟ (“What day is it?”) and let your child answer in Arabic. After two weeks, most children know all seven.
Teacher’s tip: make a weekly chart on the fridge with the Arabic day names, and write your child’s activities under each one: swimming on الأَرْبِعَاء, Quran lesson on السَّبْت.
Learn the numbers first: Arabic numbers for kids.
