The 207 most common Arabic nouns

These are the 207 nouns among the 500 most common Arabic words, in the order a corpus of everyday writing says you will meet them.

Meanings are given in English on this page. In the app they appear in your own language, translated on your device.

#	Word	Type	Meaning
21	عام	Nouns	year; general, public
35	يوم	Nouns	day
36	غير	Nouns	other than, non-, un-
40	شيء	Nouns	thing
45	نفس	Nouns	self, same; soul
50	بعض	Nouns	some, part
53	عالم	Nouns	world
54	سنة	Nouns	a common, habitual, popularized, or enforced practice
61	وقت	Nouns	time (as an abstract concept)
62	أمر	Nouns	order, command, instruction
63	مدينة	Nouns	town, city
65	دولة	Nouns	state (sovereign polity)
73	رئيس	Nouns	boss, chief, leader
74	عدد	Nouns	number
76	منطقة	Nouns	zone
77	رجل	Nouns	pedestrian, traveler on foot
80	موقع	Nouns	site, position, emplacement, place, spot, scene, locus
82	وجد	Nouns	strong emotion, strong enthusiasm, affection, fancy
83	حدث	Nouns	novelty, innovation
90	طريق	Nouns	way, road, path, track, street
94	علم	Nouns	sign, token, mark, badge
95	حياة	Nouns	life
96	قوة	Nouns	power, strength, might, force
98	حق	Nouns	equity
100	شركة	Nouns	company (a business)
102	عربية	Nouns	Arab woman
108	ابن	Nouns	son
111	مجموعة	Nouns	collection, compilation, anthology
119	نظام	Nouns	system
120	امرأة	Nouns	woman
121	بلد	Nouns	country, land, homeland
123	فيلم	Nouns	film, movie
124	طفل	Nouns	child (a minor)
127	نظر	Nouns	seeing, eyesight, vision
128	عملية	Nouns	work, action, activity
131	ساعة	Nouns	hour (unit of time)
133	أرض	Nouns	earth, land
134	مكان	Nouns	place, location, position
148	دين	Nouns	religion, creed, credo, faith, conviction, belief
150	مصر	Nouns	border, boundary, limit, march, neighboring territory
151	حرب	Nouns	war
158	حكومة	Nouns	government
159	مجلس	Nouns	seat
161	برنامج	Nouns	agenda
163	سيد	Nouns	master, lord, prince
164	قانون	Nouns	canon
165	سبب	Nouns	cable, rope
167	مركز	Nouns	place where the flag is planted in the ground
169	نوع	Nouns	type, variety
170	بحث	Nouns	search, quest
171	كتاب	Nouns	book
173	فعل	Nouns	activity, action, work
175	حكم	Nouns	sentence, judgment
177	شعر	Nouns	hair
179	فيديو	Nouns	video
180	طالب	Nouns	seeker, pursuer
184	ولاية	Nouns	province, governorate
186	وزير	Nouns	minister, cabinet minister
192	اسم	Nouns	name
193	كلمة	Nouns	speech, utterance, statement
194	إنسان	Nouns	human
195	جزء	Nouns	component, constituent
197	مشكلة	Nouns	problem, difficulty
199	هدف	Nouns	target, object, aim, end
200	علاقة	Nouns	relationship, kinship
209	بيت	Nouns	house, building
211	دور	Nouns	role
216	عسكري	Nouns	soldier
217	تاريخ	Nouns	date, time
218	عضو	Nouns	organ
220	ذات	Nouns	being, essence, substance, nature
221	قصة	Nouns	story, tale, relation
224	عين	Nouns	eye (organ)
226	حديث	Nouns	recent event, fresh news
227	حزب	Nouns	political party
228	خدمة	Nouns	service, favour
232	فترة	Nouns	interval, a while, a period of time
235	جامعة	Nouns	university, academy
236	شكل	Nouns	likeness, resemblance, semblance
237	ماء	Nouns	water
240	شيخ	Nouns	old man
245	لغة	Nouns	language
246	حي	Nouns	organism, living being
247	دولار	Nouns	dollar
248	جيش	Nouns	an army, a military force
249	سلام	Nouns	peace
251	حركة	Nouns	instance noun of حَرُكَ (ḥaruka): an instance of
253	اتحاد	Nouns	union
254	نار	Nouns	fire
255	فريق	Nouns	team
256	نهاية	Nouns	end (“extreme part of something”)
257	صورة	Nouns	form, shape, figure
262	نتيجة	Nouns	result
263	وجود	Nouns	existence
265	عامل	Nouns	worker, workman, laborer
268	سيارة	Nouns	automobile, car, motorcar
270	قرار	Nouns	decision
272	مصدر	Nouns	starting point, point of origin
277	خبر	Nouns	report, message, notification
280	رقم	Nouns	numeral, number, figure
282	مجال	Nouns	field (area of specialty)
283	وزارة	Nouns	the office, responsibility, or burden of a minister
286	معلومات	Nouns	information, data, facts, details
288	قضية	Nouns	case, lawsuit
290	مباراة	Nouns	contest, match
291	مجتمع	Nouns	place of assembly
293	بحر	Nouns	sea
294	شرطة	Nouns	police
295	عالمية	Nouns	universality
297	شخصية	Nouns	personality
298	حقيقة	Nouns	truth, reality
300	منظمة	Nouns	organization (an organized group of people)
304	طريقة	Nouns	manner, mode, means
307	بداية	Nouns	beginning, start
308	شاهد	Nouns	evidence, piece of evidence
310	صباح	Nouns	the time from sunrise to noon, morning
311	عدة	Nouns	number
312	جزيرة	Nouns	island
313	منزل	Nouns	house, dwelling
314	مدرسة	Nouns	school, academy
318	استخدام	Nouns	use, employment
321	عائلة	Nouns	family
325	عدم	Nouns	non-existence, nothingness
326	جهاز	Nouns	equipment, device, appliances, outfit, gear, rig
327	مادة	Nouns	matter, stuff, material, substance
330	رسالة	Nouns	letter
332	قناة	Nouns	channel, canal
333	صوت	Nouns	a sound (of a thing, an animal, and so on)
334	خير	Nouns	goodness, good
335	لعب	Nouns	game
339	سلطة	Nouns	power, strength
341	بناء	Nouns	building, construction (act of)
344	مؤسسة	Nouns	foundation, establishment
345	قائمة	Nouns	list
346	فرصة	Nouns	chance, occasion, opportunity
347	مملكة	Nouns	kingdom
357	سؤال	Nouns	question
358	مستوى	Nouns	level
359	تعلم	Nouns	action of learning
361	عراق	Nouns	a double suture that is at the lower end of a waterskin
365	خط	Nouns	line
369	أسبوع	Nouns	week (unit of time)
371	صاحب	Nouns	associate, companion, comrade, friend
373	قدر	Nouns	fate, destiny
374	ثانية	Nouns	second (unit of time)
375	قلب	Nouns	heart (organ)
378	إدارة	Nouns	turning, turning around, turning over
381	فكرة	Nouns	thought, reflection
384	جنب	Nouns	side, flank, half of the body
385	وقف	Nouns	stopping, halting
390	وصل	Nouns	union; connection
392	درجة	Nouns	stair, step
393	دفع	Nouns	pay, payment
398	حساب	Nouns	account
400	فكر	Nouns	thinking
401	فضل	Nouns	grace
406	لعبة	Nouns	toy, plaything
408	تعليم	Nouns	teaching, education
411	نقطة	Nouns	dot, point
415	لجنة	Nouns	committee, commission, council
416	باب	Nouns	door, gate
419	سبيل	Nouns	way, path, road
423	روس	Nouns	Russians (plural)
424	مكتب	Nouns	desk
425	أمة	Nouns	community, people, nation
426	رسول	Nouns	messenger; emissary; envoy; delegate
429	شمال	Nouns	left hand
431	وهم	Nouns	imagination, fancy
432	يد	Nouns	an appendage of a body (as of an animal)
433	مهمة	Nouns	important matter
434	دراسة	Nouns	flail
435	تطبيق	Nouns	application, implementation
437	مواطن	Nouns	citizen; national
438	تقرير	Nouns	establishment
446	شارع	Nouns	street
448	وطنية	Nouns	nationalism
449	سن	Nouns	tooth, tusk, fang
451	دقيقة	Nouns	minute (unit of time)
453	صدر	Nouns	a bust, a bosom
454	فتاة	Nouns	female adolescent, youth, juvenile; young girl
455	أهل	Nouns	family, household; people, kinfolk, relations
456	اتصال	Nouns	union
458	شبكة	Nouns	net, fishing net
459	سلاح	Nouns	weapon, arm
461	تعرض	Nouns	exposure
463	حصول	Nouns	happening
465	أثر	Nouns	trace, vestige
467	تقدم	Nouns	preeminence
468	قائد	Nouns	leader
472	صحيفة	Nouns	newspaper
473	جريمة	Nouns	crime, transgression, offense, fault
475	وصول	Nouns	arrival
476	تحقيق	Nouns	securing, fulfillment, achievement
477	مرض	Nouns	disease, sickness, illness
478	كرة	Nouns	ball
479	هيئة	Nouns	form, shape
480	دم	Nouns	ointment, salve, unguent, liniment
482	مرحلة	Nouns	phase, stage
483	قرية	Nouns	any populated area or the community thereof
484	لحظة	Nouns	moment, instant
487	سياسة	Nouns	administration, management
488	دخول	Nouns	entering
492	نائب	Nouns	representative, delegate
493	باسم	Nouns	smiler: someone who smiles
496	نبي	Nouns	prophet
497	دليل	Nouns	sign, indication, proof, demonstration, evidence
498	ولي	Nouns	one of the most beautiful Names of God: The Protector

All 500 A1 words are on this page, free, with no sign-up.

The rest of the list

A2A2 Beginner: 500 more wordsخارجية · اجتماعي · عشرة · سوق · لبن
B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more wordsكون · معا · مهرجان · إنشاء · دب
B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more wordsتأكيد · حجة · إيجاد · جان · حاسوب

A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, in the app, where you can also send any word straight into spaced review and meet it again on the day you are about to forget it.

Where this comes from

The order is measured: it comes from how often each word appears in a large corpus, counted across all the forms of a word rather than each form separately, so a verb is ranked where you really meet it. The band edges are a convention rather than a measurement. Nothing says word 501 is harder than word 500; the levels are cut where established graded reader series cut theirs.

wordfreq 3.1 (frequency order) + en.wiktionary via kaikki.org (part of speech, gender, gloss). Corpus read on 2026-09-16.

Questions

Where does the order come from?

From how often each word appears in a large corpus of everyday writing. Frequency is counted across all the forms of a word and attributed to the dictionary form, so a verb is ranked where a reader really meets it rather than being spread thinly over a dozen endings.

Why are these lists shorter than the ones with 5,000 or 10,000 words?

Because past about 2,500 a frequency rank stops meaning much. Rank 6,000 in a web corpus is not a harder word, it is a word that happens to be common in journalism. Established graded reader series top out near 2,500 headwords for the same reason.

Is every word in the list a real dictionary word?

Yes. Every headword is checked against the language's own Wiktionary entry, which is where the part of speech, the gender and the meaning come from. That check is what removes the proper nouns, single letters and corpus noise that raw frequency lists are full of.

Do I need the app?

Not for this page. The A1 list is free here and free in the app. A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, and the app is also where a word can go from a list into a review queue, which is the part a page cannot do.

Has a native speaker checked these?

Not yet. The frequency order and the part of speech are mechanical, and the meanings come from a dictionary rather than being written by hand, but nothing here has been through native review. If you spot a meaning that is technically right and practically useless, we would like to hear about it.