Learn Arabic online in the Philippines

Learning Arabic from the Philippines

Arabic is part of life for many Muslim Filipinos, especially in the Bangsamoro region and elsewhere in Mindanao, where madrasah education and Quran classes are common, and public schools in some areas offer Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE). Other learners are Filipinos preparing to work in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar or Kuwait, students, and people with Moroccan partners or friends.

Lisanova Academy is an online academy run from Morocco. It has no classroom, branch, agent or locally based tutor in the Philippines: every lesson is a live one-to-one video lesson with a Moroccan teacher.

Starting Arabic from Filipino and English

Filipino speakers already read Latin letters and usually speak English, so English-explained lessons work well. Some Filipino words even reached Tagalog from Arabic through Malay — salamat (thank you) is linked to Arabic سَلامة (salāma, wellbeing). The new challenges are right-to-left writing, joined letters, and the throat sounds ع (ʿayn), ح (ḥa) and خ (kha).

Lisanova teaches two kinds of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, Fusha) — the formal Arabic of books, news, documents and Islamic scholarship — and Moroccan Darija, the everyday spoken Arabic of Morocco. Quran lessons are a separate path. It does not teach Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian or other Arabic dialects.

Modern Standard Arabic lessons in the Philippines

MSA lessons suit Filipinos heading to work in the Gulf who want to read signs, forms and messages and speak politely in formal Arabic, madrasah graduates who want to understand and speak, and students. Lessons follow the six CEFR levels from A1. Gulf dialects are not taught.

Moroccan Darija lessons in the Philippines

Moroccan Darija lessons online suit Filipinos with Moroccan partners, families or employers, and people planning to live in or visit Morocco. Darija is not the Arabic used in the Gulf; workers going to Saudi Arabia or the UAE should start with MSA.

Quran lessons online in the Philippines

Muslim families in Mindanao, Metro Manila and Cebu can arrange private Quran reading for children, and adults can correct Tajweed or revise memorization with a teacher who listens to every verse. This is a Quran teacher online, not a replacement for a local madrasah.

Quran lessons available: reading from the first letters, recitation with correction, Tajweed rules, memorization (Hifz) with revision, and understanding the meanings. Lisanova’s Quran teachers hold Ijazah in recitation and Tajweed. Lessons are arranged on WhatsApp so the academy can confirm the teacher, the explanation language and a realistic scope; no memorization outcome is promised.

Quran and Islamic Studies: single class $12 per hour; Monthly Package 1, 8 hours per month, $80; Monthly Package 2, 12 hours per month, $110. Families get 15% off for each additional sibling. Discover Islam sessions are free.

Arabic lessons online in Cebu and the Visayas

In Cebu, learners are often workers preparing for jobs in the Gulf, tourism staff and university students. Many have long working days, so a regular online lesson in the evening, which is the Moroccan late morning or early afternoon, is easier than a weekend class.

Davao, Cotabato and the Bangsamoro region

Learners in Davao, Cotabato City, Marawi and Zamboanga often already read Arabic script from madrasah. They usually add MSA grammar and conversation, or Tajweed correction and memorization revision with an Ijazah-holding teacher.

Lesson times

The Philippines is on UTC+8 all year, with no summer time change. Morocco is on UTC+1 for most of the year and UTC+0 during Ramadan, so you are usually seven hours ahead of your teacher, and eight hours ahead during Ramadan. A Moroccan morning lesson falls in your afternoon or early evening.

When you book the free trial or ask on WhatsApp, send your city and two or three preferred local times. The academy replies with a proposed time in your local time and in Morocco time; the lesson is fixed only once you both confirm. No timetable is published in advance and no hour is guaranteed.

Explanation language

Lisanova has teachers who explain lessons in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as in Arabic; not every teacher speaks every one of these languages. The Arabic you learn is a separate choice from the explanation language. English suits most learners in the Philippines; lessons are not explained in Filipino, Cebuano, Maranao, Maguindanao or Tausug. Tell us your preference when you enquire and we match you with a suitable teacher.

Prices and getting started

Private Arabic and Moroccan Darija: one 60-minute lesson $20; 8 hours $120; 12 hours $170; 16 hours $200. Prices are in US dollars; no local-currency price is offered. The first trial lesson is free.

Book the free Arabic/Darija trial with your name, WhatsApp number and preferred package; the academy arranges the time with you on WhatsApp. You can pay by bank transfer, by card or through a money-transfer service such as Western Union; if one option is not available from your country, ask about the others before paying. Quran enquiries are arranged on WhatsApp. Cancellation and refund conditions are on the Terms page.