What are some of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn?
Learning a new language is a challenging, and rewarding endeavour. Research shows that learning a new language improves your focus and memory skills, making learning a new language well worth the time and effort.
As a general rule, languages that are culturally and linguistically different from English will be the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. So if you’re looking for a challenge, check out this list of the 12 most difficult languages for English speakers to learn.
For non-native English speakers, the list of hardest languages to learn may be different, if you’re new to learning English or languages that share some similarity to English check out these articles on is English hard to learn and is Spanish hard to learn.
You might be also interested in:
10 Easiest Languages to Learn For English Speakers
Why is English so Hard to Learn? 12 Reasons Explained
Table of Contents
Hardest Languages to Learn in the World
If you’re new to language learning, or you’re just curious about how long it takes to learn a new language, check out AmazingTalker for loads more articles on language learning.
In the past we’ve done articles on various topics related to language learning, including the 10 easiest languages to learn, but today we’ll be looking at the hardest languages to learn, so I hope you’re ready! Now let’s get right to it.
Mandarin Chinese
| Script | 漢字 (hànzì) |
| Number of Speakers | 1.28 Billion |
| Official Language Of | Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Singapore |
When you think of languages that are difficult to learn, Mandarin Chinese is probably the first language you think of. But with over a billion speakers worldwide, Mandarin Chinese is definitely a worthwhile language to learn.
Like Thai and Vietnamese, Mandarin is a tonal language, it has four tones that can be applied to words, meaning each word can be pronounced four different ways, and the meaning of words change, depending on the intonation used.
The writing system used in Mandarin is also exceptionally difficult for anyone accustomed to the Latin alphabet to learn. In addition to the usual challenges of learning a new language, people learning Mandarin must memorise thousands of traditional Chinese characters, that can represent syllables, entire words or even entire units of meaning.
Japanese
| Script | 平仮名 (Hiragana), 片仮名 (Katakana) and 漢字 (Kanji) |
| Number of Speakers | 128 Million |
| Official Language Of | Japan |
Although Japanese is considered to be one of the hardest languages to learn, there are many reasons for learning Japanese, from gaining a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and pop culture, to new business opportunities.
The most complicated aspect of the Japanese language are the Japanese characters, Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji (adopted from Chinese). These three writing systems, each with their own characters, work together to form Japanese sentences.
Another complex aspect of Japanese is their sentence structure that is vastly different from that in English. In English we use the SVO/Subject-Object-Verb sentence structure, but in Japanese the SOV/Subject-Object-Verb sentence structure is used. This can be quite a challenge, along with three writing systems to memorise and master.
Here are some basic Japanese words to use in everyday conversations:
Korean
| Script | 한글 (hangeul) |
| Number of Speakers | 79.2 Million |
| Official Language Of | South Korea and North Korea |
Although Korean isn’t as widely studied as Chinese or Japanese, it is a beautiful language with a rich history and culture. Korean also has what is known as, the most logical writing system in the world, with each character representing the physical actions your speech organs perform to produce the sound.
The Korean alphabet or 한글 (hangeul) only has 24 characters, of which 10 are vowels and 14 are consonants. Although this might sound easy and straightforward, learning Korean can still be quite a challenge for English speakers, as the language has complex grammar rules, pronunciation and sentence structure. Even though learning Korean is on every K-pop lovers’ list, this isn’t a language you can learn in a few days, with minimal effort. But with enough time and dedication, you can master it!
Cantonese
| Script | 繁體字 (faan tai ji) |
| Number of Speakers | 73 Million |
| Official Language Of | Hong Kong, China and Macao |
Source: CantoneseClass101
Cantonese is one of the Chinese languages, spoken mainly in Hong Kong and some parts of Southeastern China, and is also considered to be one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn.
Cantonese is also a tonal language, which can be hard for English speakers to get used to. What makes the tones of Cantonese so difficult is that, there are nine tones in total (compared to four tones in Mandarin), meaning that each word can be pronounced nine different ways, and has a different meaning with each pronunciation.
Another tricky aspect of the Cantonese language is that it doesn’t use an alphabetical writing system, like English. Instead, its writing system has around 47 000 characters that depict physical objects, or abstract ideas. Getting used to a writing system that is so different, and so much larger than what is used in English is a big challenge, but with time and dedication you can learn even the hardest languages.
Vietnamese
| Script | Quoc-ngu |
| Number of Speakers | 76 Million |
| Official Language Of | Vietnam |
Source: AmazingTalker
Is Vietnamese hard to learn? The answer to this question depends on your strengths and weaknesses. If you generally struggle with grammar and tenses, Vietnamese is the perfect language for you to learn, since there are no verb conjugations, plural rules, or gendered nouns. This makes Vietnamese considerably easier to learn than some of the other languages on this list.
However, if you struggle with remembering new words and pronunciation, you might have a hard time with Vietnamese. Although Vietnamese uses a version of the Latin alphabet, it also has six tones that are applied to words and syllables. Meaning each word has six different pronunciations, and meanings depending on the intonation used. The vocabulary in Vietnamese is also quite tricky, although their words are short and monosyllabic they don’t have one short word for everything, they tend to combine different words to portray meaning.
Thai
| Script | อักษรไทย (akson thai) |
| Number of Speakers | 60 Million |
| Official Language Of | Thailand |
If you’re planning to live, work or travel through Thailand, learning Thai is most likely very high on your priority list, but you find yourself wondering, is Thai hard to learn?
Thai is a hard language lo learn, especially if you’re an English speaker. This is because, like Chinese, Cantonese, and Vietnamese, Thai is a tonal language, with a total of five tones. This means that learners need to be able to distinguish between five different tones and be able to pronounce each tone perfectly, to understand the language, and to be understood by other Thai speakers.
Thai also uses its own alphabet, which consists of 44 consonants, 18 vowels, and 6 diphthongs, all of which must be memorized in order to master the Thai language. On the bright side, after you’ve mastered these tricky parts, Thai grammar is pretty easy to learn, and the vocabulary actually has some loan words from English.
Russian
| Script | Cyrillic |
| Number of Speakers | 258 Million |
| Official Language Of | Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan |
Russian is a very valuable language to learn and will connect you to a wide world of visual arts, philosophy, and literature.
As a Slavic language, Russian shares many similarities with Ukrainian, Serbian and Polish and has many words where consonants are grouped together, this can make pronunciation quite a challenge for English speakers.
Another tricky aspect of Russian is that, while some Russian letters are identical to Latin ones, others look the same, but sound completely different. For example, “H” sounds like “N,” “B” sounds like “V” and “P” sounds like “R.”
If you’re looking to get your Russian learning journey started, find yourself one of the best online Russian teachers, to get you started on the right foot.
Polish
| Script | Alfabet Polski |
| Number of Speakers | 50 Million |
| Official Language Of | Poland |
Looking to travel, work or study in Poland? Then you’re probably looking to start learning Polish as well, if so, check out the article on the best way to learn Polish.
Polish might be a bit easier to learn than some of the previously mentioned languages, like Mandarin or Thai, but it still poses some difficulty for English speakers. Spelling and grammar are a couple of areas where Polish can be quite challenging for English speakers. Polish words are loaded with consonants, which makes them difficult to spell and pronounce. For example, szczęście means “happiness” and bezwzględny means “ruthless,” have you ever seen so many consonants in one word?! In addition, Polish grammar also includes seven grammatical cases.
On the bright side, Polish uses the Latin alphabet, so the letters are a lot more familiar than those seen in Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, and other non-Latin languages.
Turkish
| Script | Türk alfabesi |
| Number of Speakers | 78 Million |
| Official Language Of | Turkey and Northern Cyprus |
Source: HospitalityMagazine
Whether you’re looking to learn basic Turkish like, how to say hello in Turkish, or looking to learn more complex, conversational Turkish, to stay or work in Turkey, with more than 78 million speakers worldwide, learning Turkish is definitely worth your while.
While Turkish uses a Latin-based script, with a few modifications, it also includes many loan words from Arabic and Persian, which makes it a bit challenging to learn the vocabulary. Fortunately, Turkish is a phonetic language, which means pronunciation isn’t too challenging.
One aspect that is quite difficult, is the various grammar rules you need to memorize, and learn when and where to apply each. The rules for use of suffixes, and word order is significantly more difficult than it is in English, which can prove to be quite a challenge for English speakers to overcome.
Arabic
| Script | الْأَبْجَدِيَّة الْعَرَبِيَّة (Al-abjadiyah) |
| Number of Speakers | 360.2 Million |
| Official Language Of | Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen |
Arabic is in the top five most spoken languages in the world, with over 300 million speakers. Learning Arabic will expose you to the rich and diverse Arab culture and open up new career opportunities, not to mention the sense of achievement you will gain from mastering one of the most difficult languages in the world.
Arabic is considered to be one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn, not just because there are around 20 ways to say hello in Arabic, but also because the Arabic language has complex grammar rules and pronunciation with complex sounds, that are completely unfamiliar to English speakers.
Another complex, and quite a tricky aspect for English speakers to grasp and master, is the Arabic script, which is read from right to left, and is quite different from the Latin alphabet we know and love.
Greek
| Script | Phoinikeia Grammata (Classical Greek Alphabet) |
| Number of Speakers | 12.2 Million |
| Official Language Of | Greece and Cyprus |
If you’re looking to work or travel in Greece, learning Greek would come in quite handy, but beware, Greek isn’t an easy language to learn.
Many aspects pose a challenge for English speakers, like the three genders applied to nouns, the new and complex vocabulary, as well as the complex grammar rules. Last but certainly not least, the Greek alphabet is one last challenge you’ll have to face in order to master the Greek language.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Greek language, check out the article on is Greek hard to learn, where we discuss what makes Greek both, easy and hard to learn.
Hebrew
| Script | אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי (Alefbet ivri) |
| Number of Speakers | 9 Million |
| Official Language Of | Israel |
Source: KojiiLanguages
Hebrew and English have very few similarities, in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. This is what intimidates most English speakers who want to learn Hebrew, but Hebrew isn’t the hardest language to learn, although it isn’t the easiest either.
Hebrew has its own alphabet, that you’ll need to learn and memorize, like Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and many more languages on the list above, it can prove to be quite tricky to get the hang of something that is so different from what we know. Add to that the complex sounds, not found in English, Hebrew pronunciation is another challenging aspect of learning Hebrew. And finally, Hebrew also has gendered nouns, which is yet another tricky aspect of the language.
But no matter how challenging a language may seem, given enough time and dedication, you can master any language you want.
Hardest Languages to Learn: FAQs
Spoken by over a billion people, Mandarin Chinese is unanimously considered to be the most difficult language in the world to master, especially for those whose native languages use the Latin writing system, like English, Spanish, French, German, and all other European languages.
If you’re more suited to learning easier languages, keep reading to find out what the easiest language to learn is.
With many similarities in pronunciation and grammar, Spanish is considered to be one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers. Another similarity between English and Spanish is that both stem from Latin, which also means both languages use the Latin writing system, which makes it exponentially easier to learn.
Ready to Learn the Hardest Languages?
The languages mentioned above are considered to be the most difficult languages to learn, for English speakers. Although these languages may seem daunting, and you might not know if you’re up for the challenge, learning a new language, especially one considered to be one of the most difficult languages to learn, holds immense benefits and will open up many new career and travel opportunities for you.
So get ready to start learning the hardest languages out there!
If you’re interested in learning more about the above-mentioned languages, or any other languages, check out AmazingTalker.
