What Arabizi is
Arabizi (a blend of عربي, Arabic, and إنجليزي, English) is an informal way of writing spoken Arabic using the Latin alphabet. It is also called Franco-Arabic or the Arabic chat alphabet. It grew up when phones and computers did not support Arabic script well, and people needed a way to text in their own dialect. Today it is still everywhere in WhatsApp messages, comments and social media across Jordan, Palestine and the rest of the Arab world.
Arabizi is not an official system. Spellings vary from person to person, and nobody will mark you wrong for writing 'shukran' or 'shokran'. What stays fairly constant is the use of numbers for sounds that English does not have.
Why numbers?
Several Arabic letters have no equivalent in English. Rather than invent new letters, texters picked digits that look like the Arabic letter. The number 3 looks like a mirrored ع, and 7 looks like ح. Once you know the handful of numbers, most Arabizi becomes easy to read.
| Number | Arabic letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ء (and often ق) | a catch in the throat, like the break in 'uh-oh' | su2aal (سؤال, question) |
| 3 | ع | a tight sound from deep in the throat | 3arabi (عربي, Arabic) |
| 7 | ح | a breathy h, like fogging up a mirror | 7ilu (حلو, nice) |
| 5 | خ | the ch in Scottish 'loch' | 5ubz (خبز, bread) |
Why does 2 often stand for ق? In Jordanian and Palestinian city speech, ق is usually pronounced as a glottal stop, the same sound as ء. So قلم (pen) is said 'alam' or '2alam', and قهوة (coffee) is '2ahwe'. In villages and among many Jordanians you will also hear ق as a g, as in 'galam'.
Letter combinations
Some other sounds are written with two English letters, just as in English. You will also see an apostrophe added to a number to make a related sound.
| Arabizi | Arabic letter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sh | ش | shukran (شكرا, thank you) |
| kh (or 5, 7') | خ | akh (أخ, brother) |
| gh (or 3') | غ | ghaali (غالي, expensive) |
| th | ث | thalj (ثلج, snow) |
| dh | ذ | dhahab (ذهب, gold) |
Long vowels are usually shown by doubling: aa for ا, ee for ي and oo for و. So باب (door) is 'baab' and بيت (house) is 'beit'. In everyday Jordanian and Palestinian speech, ث and ذ are often softened to t or s and d or z, so you may see 'talj' or 'dahab' too. Short vowels are written however they sound to the writer, which is why the same word can appear as 'inta', 'enta' or 'inte'.
Arabizi in everyday messages
Here are a few phrases as you might see them in a text from a friend in Amman or Ramallah.
- صباح الخيرsaba7 il-kheirGood morning
- مرحبا، كيفك؟mar7aba, keifak?Hello, how are you?
- عِندي امتحان بكرا3indi imti7aan bukraI have an exam tomorrow
- إحنا من الأردنi7na min il-urdunWe are from Jordan
- شو اسمَك؟shu ismak?What's your name?
Should learners use Arabizi?
Arabizi is a useful tool, but it is not a replacement for Arabic script. It helps you jot down pronunciation, read messages from friends and type quickly when you do not have an Arabic keyboard. At the same time, spellings are inconsistent, and some letters merge: س and ص both become s, for example. Learning the real alphabet early means you can tell those sounds apart and read signs, menus and books.
The Filblad workbook teaches Arabic script from Unit 1, and shows Arabizi alongside it as a pronunciation guide. Every Arabic example on this blog has a 'say it' line in Arabizi for the same reason.
Tip: Do not read the numbers aloud. 'i7na' is pronounced i-H-na with a breathy h, not 'i-seven-na'. The digits are letters, not numbers, in Arabizi.
Typing Arabizi on Filblad
On the Filblad workbook site, you can answer exercises either in Arabic script or in Arabizi. If you do not have an Arabic keyboard set up, just type what you hear using English letters and the numbers above, for example 'baabeen' or 'saba7 il-noor'.
The site compares your answer by sound rather than by exact spelling, so small differences in vowels, or writing 'il' instead of 'el', are accepted. As you type, it shows a live preview of your answer in Arabic letters, and after you check, it shows the correct answer in both Arabic and Arabizi. Over time, that side-by-side view is a gentle way to start recognising the script.
Practice
Test yourself on the numbers. Which Arabic letter, or which Arabizi spelling, is each one?
Check yourself
- In Arabizi, which Arabic letter does 3 stand for?
Show answer
ع · 3ein
- How would you write حلو (nice) in Arabizi?
Show answer
حلو · 7ilu
- Which Arabic letter does 7 stand for?
Show answer
ح · 7aa
- How is قهوة (coffee) usually written in Arabizi in the city?
Show answer
قهوة · 2ahwe
- Which Arabic letter does 5 stand for?
Show answer
خ · khaa
