كَم
kam
In Arabic, the phrase for "how many" is كَم (kam). Wiktionary also lists كَمْ (kam).
Meaning: what number (pron)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| كَم | kam |
| كَمْ | kam |
Which one should you use?
The interrogative كَمْ (asking how many) is distinguished from words meaning amount or quantity by the context and the grammatical structure of the noun that follows it.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Modern Standard Arabic, when using كَم to ask "how many", it must be followed by a noun that is singular, indefinite and in the accusative case.
How do you pronounce it?
kam
Did you know?
- The word كَمْ can also be used as an exclamation of wonder or surprise, similar to saying 'how Great!' or 'how beautiful!', rather than asking for a number.
- While كَم usually asks for a number, adding the prefix بـ to create بِكَم specifically shifts the meaning to ask for the price of an item.
- In daily conversation across various Arabic dialects, the standard كَم is frequently replaced by the word قَدِّيش, which is not used in Modern Standard Arabic.
Examples in context
- كَمْ كِتَابًا؟Kam kitāban?
- كَمْ كِتَابًا تَقْرَأُ؟kam kitāban taqra'u?How many books do you read?
- كَمْ سَاعَةً تَنَامُ فِي اليَوْمِ؟kam sā'atan tanāmu fī al-yawm?How many hours do you sleep per day?
- كَمْ طَالِبًا فِي الفَصْلِ؟kam ṭāliban fī al-faṣl?How many students are in the class?
Example conversation
Ziad and Nour are at a fruit market.
- زياد Ziadكَمْ تُفَاحَةً تُرِيدِينَ يَا نُورُ؟kam tuffāḥatan turīdīna yā Nūr?How many apples do you want, Nour?
- نور Nourأُرِيدُ خَمْسَ تُفَّاحَاتٍ فَقَطْ.urīdu khamsa tuffāḥātin faqaṭ.I want only five apples.
- زياد Ziadهَلْ نَشْتَرِي المَوْزَ أَيْضًا؟hal nashtarī al-mawza ayḍan?Shall we buy bananas too?
- نور Nourنَعَمْ، كَمْ مَوْزَةً نَحْتَاجُ؟na'am, kam mawzatan naḥtāju?Yes, how many bananas do we need?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “how many” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
