Does Arch Linux work on i386 cpu architecture

i386 is generally used to mean any 32 bit Intel CPU since the 80386. Seeing as how the 80386 went obsolete circa 1994 and nobody in their right mind still has one, most linux distributions these days compile their kernel with optimizations enabled that require the i686, or the pentium pro, and even that nobody in their right mind still has running.

So if you really still have an 18+ year old cpu, then no, it won't run.

According to a forum discussion several years ago, it relies upon i686, and the LQ website says

Arch Linux uses i686-optimized packages which gives us improved performance over some of our i386-optimized cousins. This means that Arch Linux will only run on a Pentium II processor or higher. We try to stay fairly bleeding edge, and typically have the latest stable versions of software.