3 in Arabic = ثلاثة (thalātha)

The number 3 in Arabic is pronounced "tha-LAA-tha" (with soft "th" sounds and stress on the middle syllable), written in Arabic script as "ثلاثة", romanized as "thalātha".

Quick Answer

Pronunciation

Thalātha (ثلاثة) has three syllables: tha-lā-tha

Step by step:

1. "Tha" - Say "tha" with soft "th" (tongue between teeth, like "think")
2. "lā" - Say "LAA" with a long "ā" sound (stress here)
3. "tha" - Say "tha" again with soft "th"
4. Put stress on the middle syllable: tha-LĀ-tha

The "th" sound (ث):

• This appears TWICE in this word
• Both at the beginning and end
• Soft interdental sound—tongue between teeth
• Like "th" in English "think" or "three"
• NOT a "t" sound

Common mistakes:

• Pronouncing it as "ta-LAA-ta" instead of "tha-LAA-tha"—use soft "th"
• Using hard "t" sounds—both should be soft "th" with tongue between teeth
• Not holding the middle "ā" long enough—it's a long vowel
• Stressing the first or last syllable—stress should be on LĀ in the middle

Regional pronunciation differences:

• Modern Standard Arabic (MSA): tha-LAA-tha (both "th" sounds preserved)
• Egyptian: ta-LAA-ta (both "th" become "t")
• Levantine (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan): tla-TEH or t-LAA-teh ("th" becomes "t")
• Gulf Arabic: tha-LAA-tha (maintains "th" sounds)
• Maghrebi (Morocco, Algeria): TLA-ta or TLA-tha (consonant cluster at start)

The Word "Thalātha" (ثلاثة)

Arabic script: ثلاثة

• Written right to left
• Five letters: ث (thā') + ل (lām) + ا (alif) + ث (thā') + ة (tā' marbūṭa)
• Ends with ة (ta marbuta), indicating it's used with masculine nouns in formal counting

Origin: From the Arabic root ث-ل-ث (th-l-th) relating to "three" or "third"

Gender usage: Unlike 1 and 2, the number 3 (and 3-10) follows an OPPOSITE gender pattern:

• With masculine nouns: use ثلاثة (thalātha) - with ة ending
• With feminine nouns: use ثلاث (thalāth) - without ة ending

This seems backwards, but it's the rule for Arabic numbers 3-10!

Examples:

• Three books (masculine): ثلاثة كتب (thalāthat kutub)
• Three houses (feminine): ثلاث دور (thalāthu dur)

Eastern Arabic Numeral

In Arabic script, the numeral for 3 is: ٣

Important note: The Eastern Arabic 3 looks like a reversed "3" or a heart shape:

• Eastern Arabic: ٣
• Western/European: 3

Eastern Arabic numerals (0-9): ٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩

Practical Usage

Counting: When counting: واحد، اثنان، ثلاثة، أربعة، خمسة... (wāḥid, ithnān, thalātha, arba'a, khamsa...)

Phone numbers: Each digit is pronounced separately:

• 3 = ثلاثة (thalātha) or تلاتة (talāta) in dialects
• Example: 353 = ثلاثة-خمسة-ثلاثة (thalātha-khamsa-thalātha)

Prices:

• 3 riyals = ثلاثة ريالات (thalāthat riyālāt)
• 3 dinars = ثلاثة دنانير (thalāthat danānīr)

Times:

• 3:00 = الساعة الثالثة (as-sā'a ath-thālitha) - uses ordinal "third"
• 3:15 = الساعة الثالثة والربع
• 3:30 = الساعة الثالثة والنصف

Dates:

• The 3rd = الثالث (ath-thālith) - uses ordinal form
• March 3rd = الثالث من مارس (ath-thālith min māris)

Ages:

• 3 years old = ثلاث سنوات (thalāth sanawāt) - "years" is feminine, so use ثلاث

Addresses:

• Room 3 = غرفة رقم ثلاثة (ghurfa raqm thalātha)
• Apartment 3 = شقة رقم ثلاثة (shaqqa raqm thalātha)

Compound Numbers with 3

13:

• 13 = ثلاثة عشر (thalāthata 'ashar) - masculine / ثلاث عشرة (thalātha 'ashrata) - feminine

23, 33, 43, etc.:

• 23 = ثلاثة وعشرون (thalātha wa-'ishrūn)
• 33 = ثلاثة وثلاثون (thalātha wa-thalāthūn)
• 93 = ثلاثة وتسعون (thalātha wa-tis'ūn)

Regional Dialect Variations

Egyptian Arabic:

• Pronunciation: ta-LAA-ta (both "th" become "t")
• Very common: تلاتة (talāta)
• Often: "talaata"

Levantine Arabic (Syrian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian):

• Pronunciation: tla-TEH or t-LAA-teh
• The initial "tha" loses its vowel: "tla-"
• Both "th" sounds become "t"

Gulf Arabic (Saudi, Emirati, Kuwaiti):

• Pronunciation: tha-LAA-tha
• Maintains both "th" sounds
• Very close to MSA

Maghrebi Arabic (Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian):

• Morocco: TLA-ta (consonant cluster, "th" becomes "t")
• Algeria: TLA-tha or TLA-ta
• Tunisia: TLA-tha

Iraqi Arabic:

• Pronunciation: tha-LAA-tha or tla-A-tha
• Similar to Gulf, maintains "th"

Common Phrases with 3

ثلاث مرات (thalāth marrāt): Three times

ثلاثة أيام (thalāthat ayyām): Three days

الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthā'): Tuesday (related to "three"/"third day")

كل ثلاثة (kull thalātha): Every three

ثالث ثلاثة (thālith thalātha): Third of three

ثلثان (thulthān): Two thirds (related to root ث-ل-ث)

الثلث (ath-thulth): One third

Tuesday: A Special Connection

The word for Tuesday in Arabic is الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthā'), which is related to the number three because:

• Sunday (الأحد) is the first day
• Monday (الاثنين) is the second day
• Tuesday is the third day of the week
• The root ث-ل-ث connects it to "three"

Grammar Notes

Opposite gender rule (3-10): Numbers 3-10 take the OPPOSITE gender of the noun they modify:

• Masculine noun → use feminine form of number (with ة)
• Feminine noun → use masculine form of number (without ة)

Example:

• 3 boys (masculine) = ثلاثة أولاد (thalāthatu awlād) - with ة
• 3 girls (feminine) = ثلاث بنات (thalāthu banāt) - without ة

Pronunciation in context:

• ثلاثة alone: tha-LAA-tha
• ثلاثة كتب (three books): often pronounced tha-LAA-that (adding "t" sound)

Ordinal form:

• Third = ثالث (thālith) masculine / ثالثة (thālitha) feminine
• NOT the same as cardinal ثلاثة

Writing Numbers

Eastern Arabic:

• Written as: ٣
• In a phone number: ٣٥٣٠ (3530)

In text:

• Numbers are written left-to-right
• So 33 in Eastern Arabic numerals: ٣٣ (read left to right: 3-3)

Quick Takeaways

• 3 in Arabic is ثلاثة (thalātha), pronounced "tha-LAA-tha" with soft "th" sounds
• The Eastern Arabic numeral is ٣
• Has TWO "th" sounds (ث)—at beginning and end
• Stress is on the middle syllable: tha-LĀ-tha
• In Egyptian and Levantine dialects, "th" becomes "t": ta-LAA-ta or tla-teh
• OPPOSITE gender rule: use ثلاثة with masculine nouns, ثلاث with feminine nouns
• Tuesday = الثلاثاء (ath-thulāthā') relates to "three/third"
• Comes from root ث-ل-ث
• Gulf Arabic preserves the "th" sounds; most other dialects change to "t"

---

If you're traveling in Arabic-speaking countries and need to hear numbers in context, TravelNum shows you exactly how any number is pronounced in Arabic.