Fusha numbers from 3 to 10 follow a famous rule: they take the opposite gender to the noun they count.
The numbers
| Fusha | With a masculine noun | With a feminine noun | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | واحد | waa7id | waa7ida |
| 2 | اثنان | ithnaani | ithnataani |
| 3 | ثلاثة | thalaatha | thalaath |
| 4 | أربعة | arba3a | arba3 |
| 5 | خمسة | khamsa | khams |
| 6 | ستة | sitta | sitt |
| 7 | سبعة | sab3a | sab3 |
| 8 | ثمانية | thamaaniya | thamaanin |
| 9 | تسعة | tis3a | tis3 |
| 10 | عشرة | 3ashara | 3ashr |
Zero is sifr.
One and two: after the noun
waa7id and ithnaani behave like adjectives. They come after the noun and agree with it, usually only for emphasis, since the singular and dual already show the number:
- كتابٌ واحدٌkitaabun waa7idunone book
- سيارتان اثنتانsayyaarataani ithnataanitwo cars
Three to ten: opposite gender, then plural
The number comes first, takes the opposite gender of the noun's singular, and the noun follows in the genitive plural:
- ثلاثةُ كتبٍthalaathatu kutubinthree books (kitaab is masculine, so the number takes ة)
- ثلاثُ سياراتٍthalaathu sayyaaraatinthree cars (sayyaara is feminine, so the number has no ة)
- خمسةُ رجالٍkhamsatu rijaalinfive men
- خمسُ نساءٍkhamsu nisaa2infive women
The gender is decided by the singular: kutub looks feminine, but kitaab is masculine, so it's thalaathatu.