عَشَرَة
ʕašara
Ten in Arabic is عَشَرَة (ʕašara). Wiktionary also lists عَشْرَة (ʕašra).
Meaning: the cardinal number occurring after 9 and before 11 (num)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| عَشَرَة | ʕašara | |
| عَشْرَة | ʕašra | Egyptian Arabic |
The word refers to the cardinal number occurring after 9 and before 11.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the pronunciation often shifts to عَشْرَة, dropping the middle vowel.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form عَشَرَة (ʿashara) is the feminine form of the number ten, which is used when counting masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ʕašara.
Did you know?
- In colloquial Egyptian Arabic, عَشَرَة can be used to describe a long-term relationship or 'years of friendship'. Saying someone is your عِشْرَة means you have shared a lifetime of memories with them.
- The word عَشَرَة shares a deep linguistic root with the word عَشِيرَة, which means 'clan' or 'tribe'. This connects the numerical value of ten to the social concept of a close-knit group.
- While عَشَرَة is the word for ten, the word for 'decade' is عَقْد, which comes from a root meaning 'to tie a knot'. This reflects the idea of binding ten years together into a single unit.
Examples in context
- يجب أن ننتظر عَشَرَةَ دَقَائِقَ.yajibu an nantaẓira ʿasharata daqāʾiq.We must wait ten minutes.
- اشْتَرَيْتُ عَشَرَةَ كُتُبٍ جَدِيدَةٍ.ishtaraytu ʿasharata kutub jadīda.I bought ten new books.
Example conversation
Ziyad and Nour are discussing the time of a meeting.
- زياد Ziadمتى يبدأ الاجتماع يا نور؟Mata yabda' al-ijtima' ya Nour?When does the meeting start, Nour?
- نور Nourيبدأ في الساعة عَشَرَة صباحاً.Yabda' fi al-sa'a 'ashara sabahan.It starts at ten in the morning.
- زياد Ziadهل هذا وقت مناسب؟Hal hadha waqt munasib?Is that a suitable time?
- نور Nourنعم، هذا وقت ممتاز.Na'am, hadha waqt mumtaz.Yes, that is an excellent time.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ten” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
