The names of the months in Arabic are fairly easy for learners of the language to learn because the commonly used Arabic month names are phonetic equivalents of the European month names of the Gregorian calendar. What may surprise you is that you may encounter more than one form of month names. This is because they vary from region to region.
If you don’t know the Arabic alphabet yet check our post Arabic alphabet – All you need to know to write in Arabic
Check out our other Arabic Vocabulary Lists.
With this post you will learn:
Highlights about months in Arabic
The easiest way is to learn the phonetic Arabic pronunciations of the month names of the Gregorian calendar. However, it is worth knowing that in Iraq and the Levant the classical (Aramaic) Arabic names are used and these definitely differ from the ones we know. The important thing, however, is that even in these countries you can freely use Arabic phonetic names. It is best to know both forms so that you can understand when someone uses the classical one.
For beginners we recommend learning the Arabic equivalents of the Gregorian calendar month names and then possibly learning the classical version as well. At the end of this post you will get an extra tip on how to use the names of the months in the spoken language.
***There are more forms of month names in Arabic, but not all will be covered here. For example, Algeria and Tunisia use the names of the months of the Gregorian calendar, based on the French names of the months.
How to say month/months?
month – شَهر – shahr
months – شُهور / أشْهُر- shohoor / ashhur
Names of the months in Arabic – the most common form
| English | Arabic | Transliteration |
| January | يَناير | Yanaayer |
| February | فِبراير | Fibraayer |
| March | مارِس | Maaris |
| April | أبْريل/إبْريل | Abreel/ Ibreel |
| May | مايو | Mayoo |
| June | يونيو | Yuunyoo |
| July | يوليو | Yuulyoo |
| August | أُغُسْطُس | UghusTus |
| September | سِبْتِمْبِر | Sibtimbir |
| October | أُكْتوبِر | Oktoobir |
| November | نوفَمْبِر | Noofimbir |
| December | ديسَمْبِر | Deesambir |
Classical month names in Arabic
| English | Arabic | Transliteration |
| January | كَانُون ٱلثَّانِي | kaanoon at-taani |
| February | شُبَاط | shubaaT |
| March | آذَار | Aadhaar |
| April | نَيْسَان | Naysaan |
| May | أَيَّار | Ayyaar |
| June | حَزِيرَان | Hazeeraan |
| July | تَمُّوز | tammooz |
| August | آب | Aab |
| September | أَيْلُول | Aylool |
| October | تِشْرِين ٱلْأَوَّل | tishreen al-awwal |
| November | تِشْرِين ٱلثَّانِي | tishreen at-taani |
| December | كَانُون ٱلْأَوَّل | kanoon al-awwal |
Spoken Arabic Tip: common way to use month names
A very common way to name the months in spoken Arabic is to call them by their numbers. Translated into English it will sound like this: January- month one, February- month two etc. This is a common form in Spoken Arabic in many regions, so it is worth knowing it if you have a problem with remembering the full names. Of course the pronunciation of the names of each number depends on the dialect.
Examples:
January – شهر واحد
May – شهر خمسة
Islamic Calendar
While discussing the topic of months it is also worth briefly mentioning the existence of Hijri Calendar, which is lunar Islamic calendar. This is not the civil calendar in most countries, so rest assured, you don’t have to learn any more names.
Month names in Arabic Quiz
Quizzes are a great tool to practice your vocabulary. All the Arabic vocabulary lists on our website contain quizzes at the end of each lesson, to help you remember newly learned words. To check more Arabic Quizzes go to -> Selfarabic – Arabic Vocabulary Quizzes
Months in Arabic Quiz
Are you sure you know the classic names of the months in Arabic? Test your knowledge with our Arabic Vocabulary Quiz: Months in Arabic.
Good luck!
