Last Updated on March 3, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
Globalization has made it necessary for people to learn multiple languages. Globally, there are 7,111 living languages, according to Ethnologue. The different languages website translates English words in almost 100 plus other languages.
There are a number of these languages that are relatively easy to learn, and there are others that are challenging to learn. Even if a language is difficult, people learn it based on their specific goals.
However difficult the language may be, people learn new languages according to their specific goals. Getting a good job in a foreign country requires learning a new language.
Some people learn a new language as a means of advancing their careers. Language learning is motivated by the objective of learning a new language.
Whatever the difficulty. The language difficulty becomes easier depending upon many factors, such as your interest in the language, the availability of native speakers, and language writing methodology. Teaching a foreign language can be a challenge for many.
It requires effort and time. Foreign languages are not easy to learn. In this article, we discuss the hardest languages to learn for English speakers.
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List of 5 Hardest Languages
Hearing other languages and wondering how they are structured is common for English speakers. Also, they wonder what the hardest languages are for English speakers to learn. The world’s languages are remarkably diverse.
English speakers tend to have certain things in common with the most difficult languages to master. The language differs from English in its alphabet, lacks cognates, and has grammatical concepts not familiar to English speakers. If you want to challenge yourself, learn the hardest languages first. We have mentioned the five hardest languages below.
1 – Mandarin
There are many languages difficult to learn, such as Mandarin. One billion people speak it, so you should learn it to communicate with them. Learning Mandarin is challenging due to its tonal nature.
Because of the tone and pitch, it becomes difficult to convey people’s emotions with words. Characters are elaborate, and idioms abound. Furthermore, speaking Mandarin does not translate into being able to read and write it easily.
Mandarin is a very challenging language to learn, but if you manage to learn it, then you have accomplished a great deal. Languages take time to learn. You can, however, always hire a professional translation company if you need something translated.
2 – Arabic
There are more than 20 countries that speak Arabic. Despite this, Arabic is widely spoken in the Middle East and North Africa as well. Arabic is not an easy language to learn.
There are fewer letters in Chinese and Japanese, but there are three sounds. It has 28 letters with three vowels. It also has 13 different verb forms, making pronunciation difficult.
There are many dialects of Arabic. Some of them can be understood by each other, while others are completely different. Egypt and the UAE, therefore, speak different dialects.
3 – Russian
There are many languages spoken in the world, including Russian. Over 300 million people speak it. It can be an easy language for people from Eastern Europe to learn Russian, but it can be difficult for English speakers to learn the language.
The Russian language uses a variety of alphabets. Additionally, they have difficult pronunciation. Alphabets in the Russian language are written using the Cyrillic alphabet. Russian alphabets are difficult for native English speakers to comprehend. It is a phonetic language with complicated spellings.
Therefore, learning all the letters in Russian is necessary to understand the language. By committing yourself to the learning process, you can speak Russian like a native. The only thing you have to do is work hard.
4 – Japanese
The language of Japan is a popular one around the world. More than 125 million speakers speak it. For this reason, learning the Japanese language is a good idea to be able to communicate with so many people.
However, the Japanese writing system proves to be a challenge to learn. When you aren’t familiar with Chinese, it is hard to understand. Grammar in Japanese is a challenge. Japan’s nouns don’t have genders, plural forms, or articles. Furthermore, it has two verb tenses, past and present.
This is a moderately difficult word to pronounce because it has five vowel sounds. You need to learn the elaborate characters in Japanese to learn the language.
Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji are the three writing styles used by the Japanese language. Learning these three writing styles is difficult. You should enroll in a Japanese language course if you want to learn the Japanese language.
5 – Korean
Korean movies, dramas, and pop have caused a surge in demand for the language. There are 76 million native speakers. As a result, if you want to enjoy Korean entertainment and communicate with 76 million people, learn Korean.
Korea’s characters are straightforward, just like Chinese and Japanese. While it is possible to learn Korean words and sounds easy, it is still one of the more difficult languages to learn.
The difficulties with learning come from the fact that one single idea can be expressed in three different ways. Korea is a context-sensitive language.
Just like Chinese and Japanese characters, Korean characters are straightforward. Although you can learn Korean words and sounds easy, it is still one of the hardest languages to learn. It is a difficult language to learn because one thing can be conveyed in three ways. The Korean language has a contextual nature.
A Quick Overview
Learning a new language can be a challenging but rewarding experience. However, some languages are particularly difficult to master due to their complex grammar, unique writing systems, and extensive vocabulary. Here are the top 5 hardest languages in the world to learn:
- Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Chinese is spoken by over a billion people worldwide and is the most widely spoken language in the world. The language has a complex writing system with over 50,000 characters and four tones that change the meaning of words. It also has a difficult grammar system and can be challenging to master for non-native speakers.
- Arabic Arabic is the official language of 26 countries and is the fifth most spoken language in the world. It has a unique writing system with 28 letters and complex grammar rules. Additionally, Arabic has many dialects, which can be challenging for learners to understand and speak fluently.
- Japanese Japanese has a complex writing system with three scripts: kanji, hiragana, and katakana. It also has a unique grammar structure with no articles, plurals, or verb tenses. Additionally, the language has many homophones, making it difficult to understand spoken Japanese.
- Korean Korean has a unique writing system with an alphabet of 24 letters called Hangul. It also has a complex grammar system with many honorifics, which change depending on the speaker’s status and the situation. Additionally, the language has many homophones, making it challenging to understand spoken Korean.
