Basically every other language has the same functionality (or better) as a hashmap.

That array keys are auto-coerced to integers has bit me multiple times.

They are an incredibly versatile tool for sure. Even more so wrapped in a Laravel Collection

For me, it's the exact opposite. Every time I work with PHP, I wish I could have TypeScript's properly typed arrays and dictionaries instead of the janky untyped 2-in-1 mess it actually has.

Absolutely. If you don’t know PHP arrays aren’t actually arrays, the other languages feel inferior.