Lumi KidsArabic for kids
Many children in the US and the UK grow up with Arabic in the family. Here are the 64 first words of Lumi Kids in Modern Standard Arabic, with Lumi's voice, the Arabic script and a Latin-letter guide so the whole family can follow.
Guides
- How to Raise a Bilingual Child: Methods That Fit Real Familieskeeping the family's language alive at home
- Best Age to Learn a Second Language: A Guide for Parentswhat research says about starting age
- Best Language Learning Apps for Kids in 2026: Parent's Guidehow to choose an app for a 4- to 9-year-old
Why Arabic?
After Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Tagalog, Arabic is the most spoken language other than English in US homes (Census Bureau, 2019 data), and 10% of US adults say schools should offer it (Pew Research Center, 2026). Only about 1% of public schools do (NCES, January 2024), so most children learn it at home, in a weekend school or at the mosque or church.
Families often ask which Arabic to teach. Every Arab country has its own spoken dialect, and families speak theirs at home. Modern Standard Arabic is the shared form used in books, school and news across the Arab world. Lumi teaches Modern Standard Arabic; the family's dialect fits right alongside it.
The script runs right to left and letters join up, which is new for English speakers. For a young child, listening and speaking come first; reading can follow when your child is ready.
The 64 first Arabic words
These are the 64 words of the Seed level in Modern Standard Arabic. Tap a card and Lumi says the word. Under each word is a simple Latin-letter guide (an apostrophe marks the throat sound ʿayn or a glottal stop); it is approximate, so let Lumi's voice lead.
Tap a card and Lumi says the word; ▶ next to a sentence reads it, and “Play all in order” plays a whole group. Voices: Lumi (AI-generated voice).
8 words · 8 sentences
Hello World · مرحبًا يا عالم
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| مرحبًا، أنا لومي!Marhaban, ana Lumi! | Hello, I am Lumi! | |
| إلى اللقاء، أراك قريبًا!Ilal-liqa', araka qariban! | Goodbye, see you! | |
| نعم، هذا يعجبني!Na'am, hadha yu'jibuni! | Yes, I like it! | |
| لا، شكرًا لك.La, shukran lak. | No, thank you. | |
| شكرًا لك كثيرًا!Shukran lak kathiran! | Thank you very much! | |
| من فضلك، ساعدني.Min fadlik, sa'idni. | Please help me. | |
| أنت صديق لي.Anta sadiq li. | You are my friend. | |
| صباح الخير، يا لومي!Sabah al-khayr, ya Lumi! | Good morning, Lumi! |
8 words · 7 sentences
Colors · الألوان
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| لون التفاحة أحمر.Lawn at-tuffaha ahmar. | The apple is red. | |
| لون السماء أزرق.Lawn as-sama' azraq. | The sky is blue. | |
| لون الشمس أصفر.Lawn ash-shams asfar. | The sun is yellow. | |
| لون الضفدع أخضر.Lawn ad-difda' akhdar. | The frog is green. | |
| أحب اللون البرتقالي.Uhibb al-lawn al-burtuqali. | I like orange. | |
| لون العنب بنفسجي.Lawn al-'inab banafsaji. | The grapes are purple. | |
| لون السحابة أبيض.Lawn as-sahaba abyad. | The cloud is white. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Numbers · الأعداد
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| عندي تفاحة واحدة.'Indi tuffaha wahida. | I have one apple. | |
| أرى بطتين اثنتين.Ara battatayn ithnatayn. | I see two ducks. | |
| هنا ثلاثة بالونات!Huna thalathat balunat! | Three balloons! | |
| أربع كعكات صغيرة.Arba' ka'kat saghira. | Four cupcakes. | |
| هنا خمس نجوم!Huna khams nujum! | Five stars! | |
| ست حبات فراولة.Sitt habbat farawla. | Six strawberries. | |
| هنا سبع سمكات.Huna sab' samakat. | Seven fish. | |
| هنا ثماني زهور.Huna thamani zuhur. | Eight flowers. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Animals · الحيوانات
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| القطة تقول مياو.Al-qitta taqul miyaw. | The cat says meow. | |
| هذا الكلب سعيد.Hadha al-kalb sa'id. | The dog is happy. | |
| الطائر يستطيع الطيران.At-ta'ir yastati' at-tayaran. | The bird can fly. | |
| السمكة تستطيع السباحة.As-samaka tastati' as-sibaha. | The fish can swim. | |
| هذا الحصان كبير.Hadha al-hisan kabir. | The horse is big. | |
| البقرة تقول مو.Al-baqara taqul mu. | The cow says moo. | |
| هذا الأسد قوي.Hadha al-asad qawi. | The lion is strong. | |
| هذا الأرنب يقفز.Hadha al-arnab yaqfiz. | The rabbit jumps. |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Family · عائلتي
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| أنا أحب أمي.Ana uhibb ummi. | I love my mom. | |
| أبي رجل طويل.Abi rajul tawil. | My dad is tall. | |
| أختي فتاة لطيفة.Ukhti fatat latifa. | My sister is kind. | |
| أخي يلعب الآن.Akhi yal'ab al-an. | My brother plays. | |
| جدتي تخبز البسكويت.Jaddati takhbiz al-baskawit. | Grandma bakes cookies. | |
| جدي يحكي القصص.Jaddi yahki al-qisas. | Grandpa tells stories. | |
| الطفل الرضيع صغير.At-tifl ar-radi' saghir. | The baby is small. | |
| هذه هي عائلتي.Hadhihi hiya 'a'ilati. | This is my family. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Food · الطعام
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| أنا آكل تفاحة.Ana akul tuffaha. | I eat an apple. | |
| هذه الموزة صفراء.Hadhihi al-mawza safra'. | The banana is yellow. | |
| أنا أحب الخبز.Ana uhibb al-khubz. | I like bread. | |
| أنا أشرب الحليب.Ana ashrab al-halib. | I drink milk. | |
| بيضة على الفطور.Bayda 'ala al-futur. | An egg for breakfast. | |
| هذا الجبن لذيذ.Hadha al-jubn ladhidh. | Cheese is yummy. | |
| أريد ماء، من فضلك.Urid ma', min fadlik. | I want water, please. | |
| كعكة لعيد ميلاد سعيد!Ka'ka li-'id milad sa'id! | Happy birthday cake! |
8 words · 8 sentences
My Body · جسمي
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| المس رأسك بيدك.Ilmas ra'sak bi-yadik. | Touch your head. | |
| أنا لديّ عينان.Ana ladayya 'aynan. | I have two eyes. | |
| هذا هو أنفي.Hadha huwa anfi. | This is my nose. | |
| افتح فمك الآن.Iftah famak al-an. | Open your mouth. | |
| أسمع الصوت بأذنيّ.Asma' as-sawt bi-udhunayya. | I hear with my ears. | |
| هيا، صفّق بيديك!Hayya, saffiq bi-yadayk! | Clap your hands! | |
| اضرب الأرض بقدميك!Idrib al-ard bi-qadamayk! | Stomp your feet! | |
| شعر رأسي مجعّد.Sha'r ra'si muja''ad. | My hair is curly. |
8 words · 8 sentences
Toys & Home · ألعابي وبيتي
| Sentence | English | listen |
|---|---|---|
| أنا أركل الكرة.Ana arkul al-kura. | I kick the ball. | |
| هذه السيارة سريعة.Hadhihi as-sayyara sari'a. | The car is fast. | |
| أنا ألعب بدميتي.Ana al'ab bi-dumyati. | I play with my doll. | |
| أنا أقرأ كتابًا.Ana aqra' kitaban. | I read a book. | |
| أنا أحضن دبدوبي.Ana ahdun dabdubi. | I hug my teddy bear. | |
| أنا أنام في سريري.Ana anam fi sariri. | I sleep in my bed. | |
| اجلس على الكرسي.Ijlis 'ala al-kursi. | Sit on the chair. | |
| هذا هو بيتي.Hadha huwa bayti. | This is my house. |
New sounds
| Sound or letter | What to know |
|---|---|
| ع ʿayn | A sound from deep in the throat, with no English match: na'am (yes). Listening and copying is the way to learn it. |
| ح ḥā' | A breathy h from the throat, stronger than English h: ahmar (red). |
| خ khā' | Like the ch in Scottish "loch": akhdar (green), khubz (bread). |
| ق qāf | A k made further back in the throat: azraq (blue). |
| Long and short vowels | Holding a vowel longer can change the word, so listen for the length. |
| Right to left | Arabic is written and read from right to left, and most letters join the next one. |
Practice at home
- Use the family. If parents or grandparents speak Arabic, let them speak it with your child every day, in your own dialect. Children can handle the dialect at home and Modern Standard Arabic in books and apps.
- Greetings and thanks. Marhaban, shukran and ma'a as-salama (goodbye) at the door and at the table.
- Letters when ready. Around 5 or 6, a few letters a week with a picture for each is plenty.
How Lumi teaches it
In Lumi Kids your child starts at Seed, the first of four levels (Seed, Sprout, Sapling and Tree, 72 worlds in all). The 64 words on this page are Seed's eight worlds. Every world has at least six exercises: learn the words, listen and tap, card match, true or false, listen in order and talk with Lumi; higher levels add sentence building, stories and role play. Lumi explains in English and says the new words in Modern Standard Arabic.
The app teaches Arabic by listening and speaking; the cards show the Arabic words with a Latin-letter guide.
Seed and Sprout are free, with 60 seconds of live talk to try. Lumi Plus unlocks Sapling and Tree and adds 10 minutes of live talk a week: $14.99 a month or $119.99 a year, and the yearly plan starts with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers (App Store US, checked October 5, 2026). Before live talk is turned on, the app tells you, the parent, that Lumi is an AI. Lumi Kids does not record or store your child's voice. More about the app.
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages (checked October 5, 2026) and from the app itself.
- US Census Bureau (December 6, 2022): What Languages Do We Speak in the United States? (October 5, 2026)
- Pew Research Center (August 3, 2026): What do Americans think about language learning in US schools? (October 5, 2026)
- ACTFL (March 2026): The State of K-12 World Language Education, data from the NCES School Pulse Panel, January 2024 (October 5, 2026)
- App Store (US): Lumi Kids: Learn Languages (October 5, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Which Arabic does Lumi Kids teach?
Modern Standard Arabic, the shared form used in books, school and the news across the Arab world. Families can keep speaking their own dialect at home; the two support each other.
Is Arabic too hard for a young child?
Young children copy new sounds well, including the throat sounds adults find hard. Start with listening and speaking; the script can come later.
Should we teach our dialect or Modern Standard Arabic?
Both, in different places: the dialect for family life, Modern Standard Arabic for reading and school. Many Arabic-speaking families do exactly this. Our article on raising a bilingual child has ideas for keeping the home language going.
Arabic with Lumi, a few minutes a day
Your child hears every word in Modern Standard Arabic, plays with it and then speaks with Lumi. The first two levels are free.
