Saturday in Arabic: السبت
Pronounced as-SABT — literally “the (day of) rest”.
Saturday in Arabic at a Glance
| Arabic | السبت |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | as-sabt |
| With yawm | يوم السبت (yawm as-sabt) |
| Pronunciation | as-SABT (as·sabt) |
| Literal meaning | the (day of) rest |
السبت shares its root with Hebrew Shabbat (“Sabbath”) — s-b-t, “to rest, to cease”. It's the same ancient Semitic rest-day name that also lives on in Spanish sábado and Italian sabato.
How to Pronounce السبت
as-SABT — syllable by syllable: as·sabt.
- The ʿ symbol marks the letter ʿayn (ع), a voiced sound from deep in the throat with no English equivalent — listen to the audio and imitate.
- Long vowels (ā, ī, ū) are held about twice as long as short ones.
- The definite article al- often assimilates: السبت is “as-sabt”, not “al-sabt”.
Example Sentences with السبت
How to Say “Happy Saturday” in Arabic
Arabic doesn't traditionally use “Happy Saturday” greetings for most days — the phrase above (“I wish you a happy Saturday”) is understood but formal. The big exception is Friday: جمعة مباركة (jumʿa mubāraka, “blessed Friday”) is exchanged every week by millions.
All 7 Days of the Week in Arabic
Arabic numbers most of its week: Sunday through Thursday are literally “the first” through “the fifth” day. Only Friday (“the day of gathering”) and Saturday (“the day of rest”, cognate with Sabbath) break the pattern — and both carry deep religious history.
| English | Arabic | Transliteration | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | الاثنين | al-ithnayn | al-ith-NAYN | |
| Tuesday | الثلاثاء | ath-thulāthāʾ | ath-thoo-laa-THAA | |
| Wednesday | الأربعاء | al-arbiʿāʾ | al-ar-bi-AAH | |
| Thursday | الخميس | al-khamīs | al-kha-MEES | |
| Friday | الجمعة | al-jumʿa | al-JUM-ah | |
| Saturday | السبت | as-sabt | as-SABT | |
| Sunday | الأحد | al-aḥad | al-A-had |
See the full guide: Days of the Week in Arabic.
Cultural Notes: Saturday in Arabic-Speaking Countries
Saturday is the second day of the weekend in most Arab countries. The shared Sabbath root is a striking reminder of how much vocabulary Arabic and Hebrew have in common.
Did You Know?
السبت shares its root with Hebrew Shabbat (“Sabbath”) — s-b-t, “to rest, to cease”. It's the same ancient Semitic rest-day name that also lives on in Spanish sábado and Italian sabato. Curious how English got its name for Saturday? See our guide to the origins of the days of the week.
How to Use السبت in a Sentence
Day names usually follow the word يوم (yawm, “day”): يوم السبت (yawm as-sabt) = “(on) Saturday”. Arabic needs no extra preposition for “on”. The الـ (al-) at the start is the definite article “the”.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say Saturday in Arabic?
Saturday in Arabic is السبت (as-sabt), pronounced “as-SABT”. It literally means “the (day of) rest”.
How do you pronounce السبت?
It's pronounced “as-SABT” — broken into syllables: as·sabt. Use the audio button on this page to hear a recording.
Is السبت capitalized in Arabic?
The Arabic script has no capital letters, so السبت always looks the same. Transliterations vary — you'll see as-sabt written several ways in Latin letters — but they all spell the same Arabic word.
How do you say “Happy Saturday” in Arabic?
أتمنى لك يوم سبت سعيداً (Atamannā laka yawm sabt saʿīdan). Arabic doesn't traditionally use “Happy Saturday” greetings for most days — the phrase above (“I wish you a happy Saturday”) is understood but formal. The big exception is Friday: جمعة مباركة (jumʿa mubāraka, “blessed Friday”) is exchanged every week by millions.
What does يوم (yawm) mean before السبت?
يوم (yawm) simply means “day”. Arabic speakers usually say يوم السبت (yawm as-sabt) — “the day of (day of) rest” — though the day name alone is also fine.
Why does Saturday literally mean “the (day of) rest” in Arabic?
The Arabic week counts its days starting from Sunday (“the first”). Friday and Saturday are the two exceptions, named for the congregational prayer and the ancient Sabbath rest day respectively.
Is as-sabt pronounced the same in all Arabic dialects?
The word is recognized everywhere, but dialects shave it down — in Egyptian Arabic, for example, you'll hear a more clipped version of as-sabt. The form on this page is Modern Standard Arabic, understood across the Arab world.
Saturday in Other Languages
Other Days in Arabic
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