Cardinal numbers, written as Arabic ordinals
Ordinal numbers — first, second, third — let you express order and position. In Arabic they are not simply the cardinal plus a suffix: the first is irregular, the rest follow a fixed pattern, and every form must agree in gender with the noun it describes. This tool produces the correct Arabic ordinal for any number you enter, in the gender you choose.
How it works
The first ordinal is stored directly because it is suppletive: الأول for masculine, الأولى for feminine. Ordinals from second to tenth follow the فاعِل pattern, built from the cardinal root, with the feminine adding a ـة ending. The tool keeps both gender tables and selects the form you ask for.
For the teens, the unit takes its ordinal stem and the tens word عشر (m.) or عشرة (f.) follows, both agreeing in gender — so 11th is الحادي عشر or الحادية عشرة. For compound values the unit ordinal and the tens are joined with و:
21st (m) = الحادي والعشرون
33rd (f) = الثالثة والثلاثونHundreds and the thousand are added with و before the lower part, giving forms like المئة والثالث.
The gender rule in practice
Arabic ordinals must agree in gender with the noun they modify. This affects how you use the output:
- A masculine noun (like فصل “chapter”, يوم “day”, شهر “month”) takes the masculine ordinal: الفصل الثالث, اليوم السابع
- A feminine noun (like سنة “year”, مرة “time/instance”, رحلة “trip”) takes the feminine: السنة الثالثة, المرة السابعة
If you are unsure of a noun’s gender, the definitive masculine/feminine distinction is usually clear from the dictionary form or from patterns like the ta-marbuta (ة) ending, which typically marks feminine nouns.
The irregular first
This is the most commonly stumbled-over ordinal: eleven uses the ordinal stem حادي (masculine) or حادية (feminine), not the word for “one” (واحد). So:
- 11th (masculine): الحادي عشر
- 11th (feminine): الحادية عشرة
Saying or writing الأول عشر for eleventh is a systematic error in both speech and writing. The tool generates the correct حادي/حادية form automatically.
Common usage scenarios
Chapter headings: A book with 25 chapters would number them من الفصل الأول (chapter 1) through الفصل الخامس والعشرون (chapter 25).
Dates: The day in a spoken or written date uses the ordinal. The first of March (masculine day في العربية الفصحى) is الأول من مارس; the fifth is الخامس من مارس.
Rankings and competition results: “She finished third” → “حلّت في المركز الثالث” (masculine المركز). “He won first place” → “فاز بالمركز الأول”.
Bullet lists and numbered items: Arabic formal writing often uses الأول, الثاني, الثالث as list markers, with gender matching the implicit item (البند “the item/clause” is masculine).
Ordinals above 100
For larger ordinals Arabic typically uses the cardinal number with context to imply order, rather than a dedicated ordinal form. Forms like المئة والأول (the hundred and first) appear in formal and literary Arabic. The tool generates these compound forms following the standard grammatical structure.