Arabizi is Arabic typed with Latin letters and numbers. Many Egyptians use it to text friends and post online. People also call it Franco-Arabic, or just Franco.
English has no letters for some Arabic sounds, so Arabizi uses numbers for them. These are the four numbers you see most in Egyptian Arabizi.
| Number | Arabic letter | How it sounds | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | ء and ق | A catch in the throat, like the break in "uh-oh" | 2ahwa | coffee, café |
| 3 | ع | A squeeze in the throat | 3arabi | Arabic |
| 5 | خ | A scratchy sound at the back of the mouth | 5alas | enough, done |
| 7 | ح | A breathy h from deep in the throat | 7abibi | my dear |
The number 3 was picked for its shape: it looks like ع turned around. People in Cairo say the letter ق as the same catch as ء, so 2 covers both.
| This word | Means | And this one | Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| haram | pyramid | 7aram | a shame, not allowed |
| 7al | how things are | 5al | uncle (your mother's brother) |
| na7la | bee | na5la | palm tree |
| 3alam | flag | 2alam | pen |
Most Arabizi letters sound the way you expect. These ones don't.
| You see | Say it | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| g | Always a hard g, as in "go" | gamil (beautiful), gedid (new) |
| gh | One sound, like a soft gargle | ghali (expensive), ghada (lunch) |
| e | Like the e in "bed" | enta (you, to a man), ketab (book) |
| o | Like the o in "go" | howwa (he), momken (maybe) |
| ei | Like the ay in "day" | 3ein (eye), seif (sword, summer) |
| A double letter | Hold the sound a little longer | howwa, ezzayyak |
Arabic has a light s and a heavy s, and a light t and a heavy t. Arabizi writes each pair with the same letter. So seif can mean "sword" or "summer", and tin can mean "figs" or "mud". The sentence around the word tells you which one it is.
| Arabizi | Arabic letters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ezzayyak? | إِزَّيَّك؟ | How are you? (to a man) |
| 3amel eh? | عَامِل إِيه؟ | How's it going? (to a man) |
| saba7 el-5eir | صَبَاح الْخَيْر | Good morning |
| ma3a el-salama | مَعَ السَّلَامَة | Goodbye |
| 5alas | خَلَاص | Enough, done |
| 7elwa | حِلْوَة | Pretty, sweet |
| hena | هِنَا | Here |
| sa3a | سَاعَة | Hour, watch |
For more Cairo phrases in Arabic letters, see 18 common Egyptian Arabic phrases.
Arabizi is for chatting. Street signs, menus, books and the news use Arabic letters. If you want to read those, learn the alphabet too. Bubblegum's Arabic alphabet course pairs each letter with a picture, and the letter forms chart shows how the letters join.
To start learning Egyptian Arabic in Arabizi, read How to Learn Egyptian Arabic in Arabizi.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Egyptian Arabic. You learn from Egyptian Arabic you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes your Egyptian Arabic lessons, and you can read them in Arabizi.
- Egyptian Arabic is its own journey in Bubblegum, with lessons written in Egyptian Arabic.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Egyptian Arabic about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Saved words come back in new lessons through Regenerative Review™, and you can send them to Anki too.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Egyptian posts and articles you found can't become lessons. Send Poppy a screenshot, and she explains it.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Egyptian Arabic
- Teaches the Arabic Alphabet
Mobile
Is Arabizi spelled the same way everywhere?
No. There is no official spelling, so two people can type the same word in different ways. Arabizi in other Arab countries also writes some sounds differently, because each country speaks its own kind of Arabic. This guide and Bubblegum always use one Egyptian spelling system, so you only need to learn one.
Is Arabizi the same as Standard Arabic?
No. People use Arabizi to type the Arabic they speak, like Egyptian Arabic. Formal writing in Standard Arabic uses Arabic letters.
Why do people write Arabic with numbers?
Phones and computers first let people type only Latin letters, so Arab texters used numbers for the sounds those letters lack. Many people still type it today, often because they know a Latin keyboard better than an Arabic one.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
