Top 10 Languages That are Hardest to Learn
The English language is strange and has many parts, making it difficult for some people to learn. The fact that English speakers struggle to learn other languages is rarely discussed in the public eye. Thanks to our research, the 10 hardest languages for English speakers to learn are presented below!
List of 10 Hardest Languages
Below we discuss 10 languages that are hard for English and other speakers to learn.
1. Mandarin
Mandarin comes in first as the most spoken language in the world. English speakers are unlikely to master this tonal language. A huge number of idioms, aphorisms, and homophones make the language very difficult to learn unless you also become familiar with the culture. And yes, of course, there is an alphabet as well.
What Makes Mandarin Hard to Learn?
In this tonal language, words are defined differently for different people according to their intentions. Language learners unfamiliar with Chinese culture will struggle to understand Mandarin because it uses many cultural idioms in conversation.
2. Arabic
The second language, Arabic, challenges English speakers because letters are written in four different ways depending on their placement in a word.
Moreover, Arabic does not include vowels. What’s important is the writing and the dialect you learn. There are more dialects of Arabic than the number of countries that speak this language, so it is one of the most difficult languages to learn.
3. Japanese
There are three distinct writing systems for Japanese: hiragana, katakana, and kanji. Meanwhile, it is said to be easier to learn Japanese than Mandarin. Each letter has its character, and before being able to write in Japanese, you have to learn thousands.
4. Hungarian
is basically the killer of English speakers since its grammar is so obscure? There are 26 different cases. The word order is more important than suffixes in determining the tense and possession, which is how most European languages approach this problem. The cultural element of Japanese can also make it hard to learn by yourself.
Here’s Why Learning Hungarian Is Difficult
It has a complex grammar with 14 different vowels. Because of its limited number and geographic location, it is the fourth hardest language to learn.
5. Korean
There is no apparent relation between Korean and any other language. Word order is unique; grammar is complex; the alphabet is unique, and many more challenges await. In short, it’s unlike anything else you’ve ever encountered.
6. Finnish
The complexity of Finish is similar to that of Hungarian, although it looks and sounds like English. There is also classic or old-fashioned Finnish, which differs from how Finns express themselves today… and they are different. Beware the grammar labyrinth ahead!
7. Basque
As with Basque, it bears no resemblance to the languages it surrounds. But it borrows some vocabulary from romance languages, which means it isn’t quite as challenging as Korean.
Its distinctive writing and speaking style sets it apart from all other languages. Furthermore, there are no fewer than five distinct dialects to add to the challenge.
Learning Basque is difficult because…
This language is spoken only by a few people in certain places. Other languages have no roots in Basque. In this language, both the beginning and the end of sentences can be changed.
8. Navajo
Languages from North America, such as Navajo, are predominantly verb-based. In addition, most English adjectives cannot be translated directly into Navajo, which means that descriptions are given through verbs.
There are also many distinct sounds in the language that do not appear in English, making pronunciation difficult, and several things that sound differently from one language to another.
9. Icelandic
Icelandic is much easier to learn than a number of languages on this list. Due to its density on one island, its lack of change in thousands of years, and its being spoken by less than 400,000 people, Icelandic is also quite complex and individualistic.
The Icelandic language coined new words to describe newly invented objects and did not adopt English or French terms. This makes learning it difficult and one of the hardest languages to learn.
It’s hard to learn Icelandic because…
It can be difficult to speak long words and different sounds in the letters. Icelandic has four genders, three cases, and two sets of numbers, and the word order changes with the mood, so understanding Icelandic depends upon knowing the situation.
In addition to creating new words for new products and inventions, the Inuit also create new words for new products coming to the island nation, so learning the language requires being there.
10. Polish
The tenth most complicated language has seven cases. It has fewer sounds than English, including fewer vowels and consonants.
Conclusion
The common denominator between each of these languages is that none of them have a Germanic language root. Thus, they are unrelated to the roots and history of English, making them very difficult to learn.
FAQs
Q: What makes a language difficult to learn?
A: Several factors contribute to a language’s difficulty, including its writing system, grammar complexity, pronunciation, and differences from the learner’s native language.
Q: Which languages are considered the hardest to learn?
A: Some of the hardest languages to learn include Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, Finnish, Icelandic, Navajo, Basque, and Georgian.
Q: Why is Mandarin Chinese considered difficult?
A: Mandarin Chinese is challenging due to its tonal nature, where each sound has multiple pronunciations and its complex writing system with thousands of characters.
Q: What makes Japanese hard to learn?
A: Japanese is difficult because it uses three different writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji) and has a very different grammar structure from English.
Q: How does Arabic pose a challenge for learners?
A: Arabic is challenging because it uses a different script, includes many dialects, and vowels are not typically written, making pronunciation tricky.
Q: What makes Korean difficult to learn?
A: Korean has a unique sentence structure that differs from English, combining Hangul and Hanja characters.
Q: Why is Hungarian considered hard to learn?
A: Hungarian is difficult due to its complex grammar rules, extensive vocabulary, and unique phonetic system.
Q: What challenges Finnish learners?
A: Finnish has a complex grammar system with numerous cases and a unique phonetic structure.
Q: How does Icelandic pose a challenge for learners?
A: Icelandic has a complex grammar system, including many inflections and a unique alphabet.
Q: Why is Navajo considered difficult to learn?
A: Navajo is challenging because it has a complex grammar system, a unique phonetic structure, and is an isolated language with no close relatives.
Q: What makes Basque hard to learn?
A: Basque is difficult because it is an isolated language, meaning it is not related to other languages, and it has a unique grammar system.
Q: Why is Georgian considered difficult to learn?
A: Georgian is challenging due to its unique alphabet and complex grammar rules.