Languages
Native
Arabic (Hejazi / Najdi)
97%
Secondary languages
English
40%
Language Samples
السلام عليكم، كيف حالك؟
As-salamu alaykum, kayfa halak?
Peace be upon you, how are you?
أنا بخير، الحمد لله.
Ana bikhair, alhamdu lillah.
I am fine, praise be to God.
واحد، اثنان، ثلاثة، أربعة، خمسة، ستة، سبعة، ثمانية، تسعة، عشرة.
Wahid, ithnan, thalatha, arba'a, khamsa, sitta, sab'a, thamaniya, tis'a, ashara.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Linguistic History
The Arabian Peninsula is the cradle of the Arabic language. Classical Arabic — the language of the Quran, revealed in the 7th century CE in the Hejaz region of modern Saudi Arabia — became the prestige form across the entire Islamic world. The dialects of Saudi Arabia include Hejazi Arabic (spoken along the western coast) and Najdi Arabic (spoken in the central plateau). Saudi Arabia is home to Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities in Islam, making its linguistic heritage of profound global religious significance.
Similar Languages
Hebrew
58%
Amharic
22%
Maltese
30%
Tigrinya
18%
Media
Did You Know
01
The Quran, written in Classical Arabic, has helped preserve the Arabic language in a nearly unchanged literary form for over 1,400 years.
02
Saudi Arabia's Najdi dialect preserves several features of early Arabic that have been lost in other dialects.
03
Arabic numerals — used worldwide — originate from the numeral system developed by medieval Arab and Persian mathematicians.