فِي الْمِئَة
fī l-miʔa
The English phrase percent is expressed in Arabic as فِي الْمِئَة (fī l-miʔa). Wiktionary also lists بِالْمِئَة (bi-l-miʔa).
Meaning: a part or other object per hundred (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| فِي الْمِئَة | fī l-miʔa |
| بِالْمِئَة | bi-l-miʔa |
Percent is used to denote a part or object per hundred. When using this in a sentence, it is common to place the number before the word for percent, such as 20 في المية for 20%. You may also encounter the term نسبة التغيير المئوية to mean 'percent change'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase فِي الْمِئَة literally means 'in the hundred'.
Which one should you use?
While فِي الْمِئَة (in the hundred) is a common way to express the concept, بِالْمِئَة (per hundred) is also used to express 'per hundred' or 'percent'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word miʔa (hundred) in these phrases is a noun that can take different case endings depending on its position in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
fī l-miʔa
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking countries, the symbol '%' is often placed to the left of the number, rather than the right, because Arabic is written from right to left.
- In a business context, if someone says a price is '100 percent', they might use the term كامل (kamil) meaning 'complete' instead of the numerical phrase.
- The Arabic word for hundred, مِئَة, is a feminine noun, which affects how adjectives and numbers are paired with it in complex phrases.
Examples in context
- في البلاد العربية، نسبة الضريبة المضافة هي عادة 15%.In Arabic countries, the value-added tax rate is usually 15%.
- يقدمون خصم 20% على الملابس في المحل.They offer a 20% discount on clothes in the store.
- حَصَلْتُ عَلَى نِسْبَةِ عَشَرَةٍ فِي الْمِئَةِ.ḥaṣaltu ‘alá nisbati ‘asharati fī al-mi'ah.I got a score of ten percent.
- انْخَفَضَ السِّعْرُ بِقَدْرِ خَمْسَةٍ فِي الْمِئَةِ.inkhafaḍa as-si‘ru bi-qadri khamsatin fī al-mi'ah.The price dropped by five percent.
Example conversation
Ziyad and Nour are discussing a sales report at work.
- زياد Ziadكَمْ نِسْبَةُ الرِّبْحِ فِي الْمِئَةِ؟kam nisbatu ar-ribḥi fī al-mi'ah?What is the profit percentage?
- نور Nourالرِّبْحُ زَادَ بِخَمْسَةٍ فِي الْمِئَةِ.ar-ribḥu zāda bi-khamsatin fī al-mi'ah.The profit increased by five percent.
- زياد Ziadهَذَا خَبَرٌ جَيِّدٌ جِدًّا لَنَا.hādhā khabarun jayyidun jiddan lanā.This is very good news for us.
- نور Nourنَعَمْ، أَنْتَ مُحِقٌّ يَا زِيَادُ.na‘am, anta muḥiqqun yā Ziyād.Yes, you are right, Ziyad.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “percent” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
