What it means
ارقام (arqâm) means figures, digits, or numbers, always in the plural. It is borrowed directly from Arabic, where it is the broken plural of رقم (raqam, meaning a numeral or digit). Because the plural is built into the Arabic morphology, you would never add a Persian plural suffix to this word. In everyday speech Persians often prefer اعداد (a’dâd) or simply عدد (adad) for number, but arqâm is the word of choice in formal writing, financial reports, and official announcements when referring to a set of figures.
How to use it
- ارقام جدول رو بررسی کن. (Arqâm-e jadval ro barrasi kon.) “Check the figures in the table.”
- ارقام فروش امسال خوبه. (Arqâm-e forush emsal khube.) “This year’s sales figures are good.”
- این ارقام با گزارش قبلی فرق داره. (In arqâm bâ gozâresh-e qabli farq dâre.) “These numbers differ from the previous report.”
- ارقام رو به ترتیب وارد کن. (Arqâm ro be tartib vâred kon.) “Enter the digits in order.”
Cultural note
The word raqam and its plural arqâm entered Persian along with Arabic-script numeracy during the early Islamic period. Interestingly, Western numerals (0-9) are globally called “Arabic numerals,” yet in Iran a distinct set of Eastern Arabic (Perso-Arabic) numerals is used in everyday writing: ۰ ۱ ۲ ۳ and so on. Arqâm in formal Persian contexts almost always refers to these Perso-Arabic digit shapes rather than to Latin numerals.