Arabic Days of the Week and Months: Names, Origins and Regional Differences

Learning the days and months is one of the first practical steps in any language. In Arabic, there are a few interesting patterns and several regional differences worth knowing.

The weekdays

Most Arabic weekday names come from the numbers one through five, counting from Sunday.

• الأحد (al-ahad) — Sunday, from "one"
• الاثنين (al-ithnayn) — Monday, from "two"
• الثلاثاء (ath-thulatha') — Tuesday, from "three"
• الأربعاء (al-arbi'a') — Wednesday, from "four"
• الخميس (al-khamis) — Thursday, from "five"
• الجمعة (al-jum'a) — Friday, from "gathering", the day of congregational prayer
• السبت (as-sabt) — Saturday, related to the word "Sabbath"

Since the week starts on Sunday in traditional Arabic reckoning, the numbers line up neatly.

Weekends differ by country

Friday is a day of prayer across the Arab world, and many countries observe Friday and Saturday as the weekend. Some have changed their schedules in recent years, so a business trip warrants checking local working days rather than assuming.

Gregorian months

Two systems are common in Arabic:

Levant and Iraq use names derived from Syriac: كانون الثاني (Kanun ath-thani, January), شباط (Shubat, February), آذار (Adhar, March), نيسان (Nisan, April), أيار (Ayyar, May), حزيران (Hazayran, June), تموز (Tammuz, July), آب (Ab, August), أيلول (Aylul, September), تشرين الأول (Tishrin al-awwal, October), تشرين الثاني (Tishrin ath-thani, November) and كانون الأول (Kanun al-awwal, December).

Egypt, the Gulf and much of North Africa use names closer to English and French: يناير (Yanayir), فبراير (Fibrayir), مارس (Mars), أبريل (Abril), مايو (Mayu), يونيو (Yunyu), يوليو (Yulyu), أغسطس (Aghustus), سبتمبر (Sibtimbir), أكتوبر (Uktubir), نوفمبر (Nufimbir) and ديسمبر (Disimbir).

Both are correct, and both are understood by most educated speakers.

The Islamic calendar

The Hijri calendar has twelve lunar months: Muharram, Safar, Rabi' al-awwal, Rabi' al-thani, Jumada al-awwal, Jumada al-thani, Rajab, Sha'ban, Ramadan, Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi'da and Dhu al-Hijja. Because the lunar year is about eleven days shorter than the solar year, these months move through the seasons over roughly 33 years.

Dates in practice

Official documents in some countries show both Gregorian and Hijri dates. Being able to recognise both makes reading forms and news easier.

Study tips

1. Learn the weekdays first, tying each to its number.
2. Choose one set of Gregorian months for the region you care about.
3. Note Ramadan and Dhu al-Hijja, as they appear in everyday conversation.
4. Look each word up in script to see the spelling.

Look up Arabic dates and months with English Arabic Dictionary →