How to Read Tunisian Arabizi Numbers (3, 7, 9, 5, 8)
In SMS, WhatsApp, and social media across Tunisia, speakers type Arabic sounds using Latin letters and numbers known as Arabizi (or Franco-Arabic). Our dictionary search supports both Arabizi digits and our book’s standardized Latin phonetic symbols.
| Number | Arabic Letter | Book Symbol | Example | How to Pronounce It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | ع ('Ayn) | Ä | 3asfour = ÄSfour (bird) | Deep voiced guttural throat sound. |
| 7 | ح (Ha) | H | 7lib = Hlib (milk) | Heavy breathy throat 'H', stronger than English 'h'. |
| 9 | ق (Qaf) | q | 9ahwa = qahwa (coffee) | Deep uvular 'k' pronounced from the back of the palate. |
| 5 | خ (Kha) | kh | 5ubz = khubz (bread) | Raspy throat 'kh', like Scottish 'loch'. |
| 8 / 4 | غ (Ghayn) | gh | 8adwa / ghadwa (tomorrow) | Rolled throat sound similar to the French 'r'. |
| 2 | ء (Hamza) | ’ | su2él / su’él (question) | Brief glottal stop like the catch in 'uh-oh'. |
Complete 30-Symbol Tounsi in Black & White Phonetic Chart (pp. 9–12)
Capitalization matters in our phonetic system: uppercase Ä, H, S, and T mark deep or emphatic Arabic throat/tongue articulations distinct from lowercase a, h, s, and t.
| Symbol | Type | English Sound | French Sound | Arabic | Example & Pronunciation Tip |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | Vowel | wall, car, saw | à, Paris, appeler | ا , ع | Avril Open 'a' vowel as in 'car' or 'saw'. |
| Ä | Vowel | Deep elongated “a” as in awe | “à” de profondeur de la bouche | ع | sbÄ Deep guttural 'a' articulated from the back of the throat (Arabic 'Ayn ع). |
| e | Vowel | elephant, end | blesser, tenir | ء | ekhel Short 'e' as in 'end' or 'elephant'. |
| é | Vowel | cake, bait, bale | lait, saler, thé | ي / ا | éna Clear 'ay' sound as in 'cake' or French 'thé'. |
| o | Vowel | go, no, so | dos, eau, moto | و | Octobr Rounded 'o' as in 'go'. |
| u | Vowel | glue, new, two | tu, rue, mouton | و | bu Long 'oo' sound as in 'glue' or 'two'. |
| i | Vowel | wing, sing, read | si, ni, lit | يْ | fil Short 'i' as in 'sing' or long 'ee' as in 'read'. |
| w | Vowel / Semi-vowel | wait, win, owe | oui, toilette | وْ | warqa Glide 'w' sound as in 'wait' or 'win'. |
| ’ | Consonant | Glottal stop (Uh-oh) | Coup de glotte (début de “aimer”) | ء / ع | me’aza Glottal stop or brief vocal pause, like the catch in the middle of 'uh-oh'. |
| b | Consonant | bike, beat, bat | bague, beau | ب | ba’id Standard 'b' as in 'bike'. |
| d | Consonant | do, duck, did | dire, doux | د | dabbuza Standard 'd' as in 'duck'. |
| dh | Consonant | this, the, then | Pointe de la langue à l’arrière des dents | ذ | dhaw Voiced 'th' sound as in 'this' or 'then' (touch tongue tip behind upper teeth). |
| f | Consonant | fun, far | fille, fort | ف | faqqus Standard 'f' as in 'far'. |
| g | Consonant | go, get | gâteau, gomme | ق | garaj Hard 'g' as in 'go' (Tunisian pronunciation of Qaf in many words). |
| gh | Consonant | Guttural “r” sound | rue, rouge | غ (ghayn) | ghadwa Raise the back of the tongue toward the roof of the mouth and vibrate air, like a French 'r' in 'rouge'. |
| h | Consonant | hat, hit, hope | Un court souffle léger | ه | mehbul Light, gentle breathy 'h' as in 'hat'. |
| H | Consonant | Stronger, breathier “h” | Un court souffle fort | ح | Halib Deep, forceful breathy 'H' from the throat (like fogging up a pair of glasses). |
| k | Consonant | kite, cat, black | cadeau, clé | ك | kabbut Standard 'k' as in 'kite'. |
| kh | Consonant | Like “loch” or “Bach” | Son de gargouillement doux | خ | khamsa Place tongue in 'k' position and aspirate like 'ch' in Scottish 'loch'. |
| q | Consonant | Uvular stop (deep “k”) | quatre (plus profond) | ق | Qadesh Like 'k', but with the back of the tongue positioned farther back against the uvula. |
| r | Consonant | Rolled “r” (Scottish “road”) | Un “r” roulé | ر | ras Tapped or rolled 'r' with the tip of the tongue. |
| s | Consonant | sit, sand, miss | soupe, sac | س | saba’a lef Standard 's' as in 'sit'. |
| S | Consonant | Hard, exaggerated “S” | sacrifice, sombre | ص | ÄSfour Emphatic, deep-toned 'S' with the tongue slightly lowered. |
| sh | Consonant | sharp, mash, fish | chou, chat | ش | shÄ’ar 'sh' sound as in 'sharp' or 'fish'. |
| t | Consonant | kit, sit, type | table, tout | ت | taHt Crisp 't' as in 'type'. |
| T | Consonant | Emphasized “t” as in Tap | N/A (emphatique) | ط | yfTor Heavy, emphatic 'T' pronounced with a fuller mouth resonance. |
| th | Consonant | thin, thank, thick | Souffle en déplaçant la langue des dents | ث | thmenin Unvoiced 'th' as in 'thin' or 'thank'. |
| v | Consonant | van, vine, have | voiture, vin | ف / ڤ | valiz Standard 'v' as in 'van'. |
| y | Consonant | yes, yellow | yeux, yaourt | ي | yaba’ath 'y' sound as in 'yes'. |
| z | Consonant | zoo, zip, has | zèbre, zéro | ز | zbiyb Buzzing 'z' as in 'zoo'. |