مفرد · مثنى · جمع
Singular, Dual & Plural
Unlike English (which only has singular and plural), Arabic has three number forms: one thing (mufrad), exactly two things (muthanna), and three or more (jam'). This distinction appears throughout the Quran.
Mufrad (مُفْرَد) — Singular
The base form of any noun. Most Arabic vocabulary you learn starts as mufrad.
كِتَابٌ
a book
رَجُلٌ
a man
مُسْلِمَةٌ
a Muslim woman
Muthanna (مُثَنَّى) — Dual
For exactly two of something, Arabic adds a special suffix instead of using the number "two." The dual suffix changes based on i'rab:
In Raf' (nominative)
كِتَابَانِ
two books — suffix: ـَانِ
In Nasb / Jarr
كِتَابَيْنِ
two books — suffix: ـَيْنِ
Quranic Example — Surah Ar-Rahman (55:46)
وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ
جَنَّتَانِ (jannatani) — "two gardens," dual form of جَنَّة (garden), in raf' with the ـَانِ suffix.
Jam' (جَمْع) — Plural
For three or more, Arabic has three types of plural:
Jam' Mudhakkar Salim — Sound Masculine Plural
Add ـُونَ (raf') or ـِينَ (nasb/jarr) to the singular.
مُسْلِمٌ
singular
مُسْلِمُونَ
plural (raf')
مُسْلِمِينَ
plural (nasb/jarr)
Jam' Mu'annath Salim — Sound Feminine Plural
Replace the ta' marbuta with ـَاتٌ.
مُسْلِمَةٌ
singular
مُسْلِمَاتٌ
plural
Jam' Taksir — Broken Plural
The internal structure of the word changes. There is no single rule — these must be memorized. Broken plurals are extremely common in the Quran.
كِتَابٌ
↓
كُتُبٌ
books
رَجُلٌ
↓
رِجَالٌ
men
نَفْسٌ
↓
أَنْفُسٌ
souls
Key Takeaways
- 1. Arabic has three numbers: singular (مفرد), dual (مثنى), and plural (جمع).
- 2. Dual uses ـَانِ in raf' and ـَيْنِ in nasb/jarr.
- 3. Sound plurals add a suffix; broken plurals change the word's internal pattern.
- 4. Broken plurals are the most common plural type in the Quran — learn them as you encounter each root.