أَلْف
ʔalf
The English phrase 'thousand' is translated into Arabic as أَلْف (ʔalf). Wiktionary also lists ١٠٠٠.
Meaning: cardinal number 1000 (num)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| أَلْف | ʔalf |
| ١٠٠٠ |
The term is used as a cardinal number to represent the quantity 1000.
Which one should you use?
While ألفان is a way to say 'two thousand', the informal version الفين is also used. Similarly, for 'one hundred thousand', مئة ألف is the standard form whereas مية الف is used informally.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, the word for thousand is ألف.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting, the noun following أَلْف must be in the singular genitive case, such as in أَلْفُ رِيَالٍ (a thousand riyals). For the number two thousand, the dual form أَلْفَا is used when the word is in the nominative case and is followed by a noun in a genitive construction.
How do you pronounce it?
ʔalf
Did you know?
- In some cultural contexts, saying ألف مبروك (a thousand congratulations) is the standard way to congratulate someone, as a single 'congratulations' is considered insufficient.
- The spelling of ألف uses an 'Alif' at the beginning, which is the very first letter of the Arabic alphabet, making it a foundational building block of the script.
- The Arabic numeral system, which uses ١٠٠٠ for a thousand, was the ancestor to the 'Arabic numerals' used in English today, though the shapes evolved differently across regions.
Examples in context
- عِنْدِي أَلْف رِيَال.indi alf riyal.I have one thousand riyals.
- هَذَا السَّعْرُ أَلْف دُولار.hadha al-si'r alf dolar.This price is one thousand dollars.
- وَصَلَ أَلْف شَخْصٍ إِلَى الحَفْلَةِ.wasala alf shakhs ila al-hafla.A thousand people arrived at the party.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thousand” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
