Bored of your Arabic textbooks and endless lists of vocabulary to learn? Don’t overlook Instagram as a resource for Arabic! Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, Instagram is an absolute treasure trove for Arabic students, as long as you know where to look. We’ve put together a selection of our absolute favourite Instagram accounts to follow if you’re learning Arabic – whether you want to add some formal Arabic teaching to your feed or learn snippets of casual conversation from watching Reels, there’s something on this list for everyone!
1. Arabic with Rose | @arabicteacherrose
If your focus is Palestinian / Jordanian Ammiyeh or you’re planning to study abroad in Amman, don’t miss Arabic with Rose, a fabulous IG account which breaks down grammar points, vocabulary and even hand gestures in fun posts and reels.
2. Mai Abdelal | @maisvault
Perfect for any level of Arabic student, Mai is a New Yorker with Egyptian heritage who shares absolutely hilarious videos about growing up in a Middle Eastern family in a mixture of Arabic and English. The Arabic is captioned so even absolute beginners can enjoy her videos! She (and Mama Wafaa) will have you crying with laughter while you’re “working on your Arabic”!
3. Al Jazeera Plus Arabi | @ajplusarabi
The perfect way to brush up on your media Arabic, following @ajplusarabi will deliver concise news updates in MSA right to your Instagram feed. Do be aware that this account shares videos of events which can be graphic and distressing.
4. Miraa Middle East | @miraaisforwomen
The Instagram account of Miraa Middle East, an online magazine ‘focusing on Arab women and the social and cultural issues they face’. Miraa is a project funded by Unilever, so some content is sponsored, but they share loads of content in Arabic, complete with beautiful artwork commissioned from amazing artists and focus on female-centred topics not typically covered in traditional Arabic courses.
5. Fatmee Kitchen | @fatmee_ kitchen
Combine your listening practice with tasty recipes by following @fatmee_kitchen, where you’ll get Middle Eastern recipes explained to you in short and sweet IGTV videos by the lovely Fatmee. Pick up tonnes of food vocabulary and natural pronunciation patterns while you watch.
Now for some incredibly impressive non-native Arabic speakers to inspire and prove that becoming fluent in Arabic is anything but impossible!
6. Falafel Kimchi | @falafel.kimchi
Self-styled as ‘your fav non-Arab Arab’, Falafel Kimchi is famous for his accents spanning the Arabic-speaking world. From Yemeni to Mauritanian, he’s tried them all. Follow for general hilarity and huge amounts of inspiration to get practicing that regional accent!
7. Lizzie aka American Qahwa | @americanqahwa
Lizzie is an American living in Amman whose gorgeous feed highlights the beauty of Jordan and Jordanians, all in absolutely flawless Arabic! She writes up her captions in both English and Arabic, so her posts are the perfect way to pick up some more casual vocabulary.
8. Yuliya | @arabicspeakingcats
Yuliya’s beautiful account is the ideal place for anyone learning MSA or Egyptian Arabic. With the main captions written in English, her feed is perfect for all levels of learner and will make any Arabic student feel at home. She shares vocabulary, language tips and insights she’s gained along the way as an Arabic graduate, teacher and professional translator at a news agency, all in her signature cosy style.
9. Pink Jinn Arabic | @pinkjinnarabic
And of course, don’t forget to follow @pinkjiinnarabic where we share everything from intriguing loan words to our favourite language learning tips!
Lots of our favourite YouTubers are on Instagram too – get bite-sized doses of Arabic with Maha and Mummy in Amman right on your Instagram feed, and if you’re learning Moroccan Arabic don’t miss Loubna Jaouhari’s IG account! For more YouTube accounts to follow, have a look at our post 12 Essential YouTube channels to watch if you’re learning Arabic!