Convert between Western digits (0-9), Eastern Arabic numerals (٠-٩), and written Arabic number words. Used across North Africa and the Arab world.
When people say "Arabic numerals," they usually mean the digits 0 through 9 that are used globally. These originated from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system, transmitted to Europe through Arab mathematicians in North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. However, many Arabic-speaking countries in Africa and the Middle East actually use a different set of symbols called Eastern Arabic numerals (also known as Arabic-Indic numerals).
Eastern Arabic numerals (٠ ١ ٢ ٣ ٤ ٥ ٦ ٧ ٨ ٩) are the standard in Egypt, Sudan, and parts of Libya. They share the same positional decimal system — the difference is purely visual. A number like 2025 in Western digits is written as ٢٠٢٥ in Eastern Arabic. The mathematical value and place-value system are identical.
This converter is particularly useful for students of Arabic, travelers to North Africa and the Middle East, professionals working with Arabic-language documents, and anyone studying Islamic texts where Eastern Arabic numerals frequently appear. Understanding both numeral systems helps bridge communication gaps across the African continent.
The Arabic word for zero, "sifr" (صفر), is the origin of our English word "cipher" and the concept of zero in mathematics — a contribution from the Islamic Golden Age that transformed science and commerce worldwide. North African scholars in cities like Cairo, Fez, and Timbuktu were instrumental in preserving and advancing this mathematical knowledge.
"Arabic numerals" (0-9) are the standard global digits, originally derived from the Hindu-Arabic system. "Eastern Arabic numerals" (٠-٩) are the symbols actually used in Arabic-speaking countries like Egypt and Sudan. Both represent the same values in the same base-10 positional system — only the symbols differ.
Egypt is the primary African country where Eastern Arabic numerals are used daily — on price tags, license plates, phone numbers, and official documents. Sudan also uses them extensively. Libya uses a mix. Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria predominantly use Western digits, though Eastern Arabic appears in some religious and traditional contexts.
Eastern Arabic numbers follow the same place-value system as Western numbers. Read them right-to-left for the digit order (matching Arabic text direction), but the numerical value is the same. For example, ١٢٣ = 123. The rightmost digit is ones, then tens, then hundreds — exactly as in Western notation.