Learning a language is a journey, and here at Remitly, we’re here to help. Whether you’re just starting out or wondering why you’re having difficulty, we want to give you a better understanding of what makes specific languages more complex than others.
What is the hardest language to learn?
Definition and criteria for language difficulty
The criteria for what makes a language difficult are based on several factors. However, there’s also a degree of subjectivity—what may come easily for some might be difficult for others. Polyglots, who learn and become fluent in multiple languages, may not find any one type of language particularly challenging. However, as someone who has learned four languages, some were far easier to grasp than others.
Factors that can determine how difficult a language feels are:
- Your native language
- Your cognitive skills
- Your exposure to the language you’re learning
- Your motivation
For English speakers, language difficulty is often measured by grammar complexity, phonetic challenges, writing systems, and the time required to reach fluency. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) states that some languages require more than 2,200 hours of study to achieve proficiency, compared to just 600 hours for easier languages.
An introduction to complex grammars and pronunciations
The number of verb forms, noun cases, genders, and syntax rules all contribute to the complexity of grammar. For example, Finnish has 15 grammatical cases—this means a noun can be formed in 15 different ways depending on its role in a sentence. Hungarian is often said to have 18 cases, but the number depends on how cases are defined—even Hungarians themselves sometimes debate this.
Pronunciation is also a significant factor in language difficulty. Cantonese and Vietnamese, for instance, are tonal languages—this means that when the pitch changes, the meaning of a word can change as well. There are also specific sounds that do not exist in English, making it difficult for the average English speaker to master.
Understanding the role of native English speakers in language learning
Languages that are closely related to English can sometimes be easier to grasp. The greater the linguistic distance, the more challenging it can be to make progress. Germanic languages such as German, Dutch, and Swedish have many similarities, particularly in vocabulary and structure, so they may be more approachable.
You can also see this with Romance languages. An Italian may pick up Spanish quickly, but may have a harder time with Dutch. Language families such as Uralic (Finnish and Hungarian) can pose greater hurdles.
The Foreign Service Institute has created rankings to help gauge these challenges by showing how Mandarin and Arabic are significantly more time-intensive than French and Italian.
The hardest languages for English speakers
Overview of Mandarin Chinese: why it’s so difficult
Mandarin Chinese is most commonly cited as the most challenging language for English speakers to learn. The core reasons for this are:
- Mandarin is a tonal language: Mandarin has four main tones, which determine the meaning of a word. One slight difference in inflection when speaking can change not just the word but sometimes the whole meaning of the sentence. A single syllable like “ma” can mean mother, hemp, horse, or scold—depending on the intonation.
- Logographic writing system: There are over 50,000 unique characters, but the average Mandarin speaker knows about 8,000. These characters represent morphemes, which are units of meaning. Some words are represented by a single character, while others require two or more.
- Lack of shared vocabulary: Unlike Romance languages, which share Latin roots with English, Mandarin shares almost nothing with the English language, meaning you’re basically starting from zero.
Pinyin is the Romanization of Chinese characters. Pinyin uses the Latin alphabet to represent Chinese sounds and is commonly used in textbooks and language-learning apps. Pinyin offers a more accessible way to read and to learn Chinese pronunciation.
Examining the complexities of Arabic
Arabic is considered another complex language. Several factors can make this language difficult to master:
- Diglossia: Arabic can sometimes be seen as two languages under one umbrella. Arabic speakers often use Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) for formal settings and regional dialects for everyday conversations. These dialects can differ significantly.
- Alphabet and script: Arabic uses a script that connects letters, changes shape depending on position, and omits most vowels.
- Pronunciation: There are ten Arabic sounds that don’t exist in English. To master them, you will have to learn to put your teeth, mouth, and tongue in positions that are generally not needed in English.
- Grammar: When it comes to grammar, Arabic includes complex verb conjugations, noun-adjective agreement (adjectives must change to match the gender and number of the nouns they describe), and gendered verb forms.
Other challenging languages and their unique features
- Japanese: Japanese uses three writing systems—Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji—and each has a different use. You’ll have to master all three in order to read and write fluently.
- Korean: Hangul, which is the Korean script, is considered one of the most logical in the world. However, the syntax and verb forms can often be complex for English speakers. Honorifics also play a factor in difficulty, as you must know how to conjugate properly based on who you’re talking to and their relationship to you.
- Hungarian: It is an agglutinative language, meaning many suffixes are added to a root to build a word. This results in long an complex words.
- Finnish: Finnish is a Uralic language like Hungarian, distinct from its surrounding European languages and made up of more complex case systems and vowel sounds. Its grammar is quite different from English.
Language challenges for English-speaking learners
The impact of different writing systems on learning
New alphabets and scripts can increase learning difficulty and might appear daunting at first, but with practice, they become more familiar.
- Chinese characters: Don’t be intimidated by the thousands of characters to memorize, as you don’t need to know all 50,000 to read, write, and speak fluently.
- Arabic script: The script omits short vowels and is also written from right to left. This can make it more difficult to guess a word’s pronunciation.
- Japanese Kanji: Characters are derived from Chinese characters. Many share similar meanings but pronunciation and usage in Japanese can vary significantly.
- Cyrillic alphabet: Used in Russian and some other Slavic languages like Bulgarian and Serbian, Cyrillic can look similar to Latin letters but often represents different sounds.
Cultural and contextual differences in language use
Language is a deeply embedded part of culture and, in languages like Korean or Japanese, often reflects social hierarchy and respect. Misusing honorifics can be considered rude, as these two cultures are known for revering their elderly and those in higher social stations or professional positions. In South Korea, even your mannerisms will show deference to those considered above you.
In Spain, on the other hand, communication is more direct, especially in informal settings. It’s typically acceptable to jump to the point when ordering food, as long as your tone is polite and respectful. In many Arabic-speaking cultures, indirect communication is common when trying to get one’s feelings or point across, while in Mandarin-speaking cultures, speakers may choose phrasing that minimizes disagreement.
The science behind learning difficult languages
Insights from the Foreign Service Institute rankings
The Foreign Service Institute ranks languages into five categories based on the estimated time it takes English speakers to become proficient.
- Category I: 600-750 hours for French and Spanish
- Category II-III: 750-1,100 hours for German and Indonesian
- Category IV: 1,100+ hours for Russian and Hebrew
- Category V: 2,200+ hours for Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean
The timing is calculated by the factors we have already looked at, like grammar complexity, writing systems, and cultural differences. Arabic and Chinese have no linguistic roots with English as well as a completely different writing system, making them two of the most difficult to learn.
How grammar rules and sentence structures affect learning
English generally has a relatively simple sentence structure. When learning languages like Russian that have free word order, it forces learners to rethink how meaning is conveyed.
Turkish is an example of an agglutinative language, which means adding suffixes to the root word can change the entire meaning.
Such features can contribute to the difficulty of learning such complex languages compared to English.
The role of pronunciation and phonetic differences
Sounds not found in English can make pronunciation challenging. Being unfamiliar with how to form certain sounds with your tongue and teeth can take a good amount of practice.
- Tonal languages: Mandarin and Thai words change meaning depending on the tone
- Click consonants: Xhosa, spoken predominantly in South Africa, is one of the most well-known languages that contains click consonants, sounds that are not found in English
- Guttural sounds: Guttural sounds are sounds made at the back of the throat. These sounds are very common in Arabic and can be difficult for English speakers.
- Length and pitch: In languages like Japanese and Finnish, length (how long a sound is and pitch (how high or low a sound is) can change the meaning of a word. This only affects one syllable in the word, unlike in tonal languages, where every syllable is affected.
Contrasting with easier languages to learn
Characteristics of languages using the Latin alphabet
Some languages can be easier for English speakers to learn for the following reasons:
- Shared linguistic roots: Indo-European and Germanic languages share vocabulary and syntax with English. For example, “information” in English, “Informationen” in German, and “información” in Spanish.
- Alphabet familiarity: Latin (Roman) script reduces the initial learning curve since English speakers are already familiar with the letters
- Cultural exposure: Pop culture, media, and even education systems often include exposure to different languages, especially Spanish, French, and Italian
- Pronunciation: Languages that are easier to pronounce tend to spell words the way they sound and have sounds that are similar to English
Examples of Indo-European and Germanic languages
- Spanish: Phonetically and grammatically similar to English
- French: Shares significant vocabulary with English due to historical influences
- Italian: Latin spelling and pronunciation that have similar sounds to English
- Dutch: Shares Germanic roots and sentence structure with English
Key learnings on language difficulty
As someone who has learned some of the easiest and hardest languages, knowing their level of difficulty can help set your expectations. You can most certainly jump into Japanese by trying to speak and memorize vocabulary, but you may have a far easier time mastering this difficult language by studying Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji first.
Researching the grammar, writing systems, or whether a language is tonal can impact the learning process, making it smoother, though perhaps not “easier.”
If you are unsure of your language-learning journey, using the Foreign Service Institute as a resource can help guide you further on all the key factors we have explored in this guide.
Encouragement for future language learning adventures
No matter how difficult or easy a language may be, everyone learns at their own pace and in different ways. There are many people in the world learning their third or fourth language—all of them self-taught. Others, like myself, prefer a classroom and more structured learning.
No matter the hurdles a difficult language may present, don’t be discouraged! You will be surprised by how much you can progress with dedication, time, and patience.
FAQs
What are the top three hardest languages to learn?
According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) ranking system, Mandarin, Arabic, and Japanese are among the hardest languages to learn for English natives.
What are the 10 hardest languages in the world?
Ten of the hardest languages to learn are Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Hindi, Icelandic, Hungarian, and Finnish.
What are the top 10 easiest languages to learn?
Ten of the easiest languages to learn are French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish, Afrikaans, Norwegian, Swedish, and German.
What are Category V languages?
According to the FSI, Category V languages are super hard to learn and take more than 2,200 hours to master. Some of these languages include Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin, and Korean.