Why are Arabic numerals called Arabic? The fact is that the numbers from 0 to 9 that we use today were developed from a system known as Arabic-Hindu numerals, so named because of its development from a number of different Middle Eastern and Indian language systems. They originally arose from Brahmi and Sanskrit, developing into forms of Eastern and Western Arabic origin, and were used in Europe from about the eleventh century. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:12