Hardest Languages to Learn

<?xml encoding="utf-8" ?><h2>Introduction</h2><p>Speaking another language can open up incredibly new worlds: culture, work and experiences. Unfortunately, no two languages were ever designed equally. Some languages would expect the learner to take on a challenge and learn a new writing system, difficult grammatical structures, tonal pronunciations, and altogether unique sentence patterns. Some languages would simply take an English speaker years and years to master. Here are some of the most difficult languages in the world and why:</p><h2>1. Mandarin Chinese</h2><p><img alt="Learn Chinese language" src="https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/izapabrBvPUUAVfn6qlkDIPkWvVfLwAdA4B0Oz8q0ZXsTF0ZwGvS5Cc4MhVC8e_o0c5RRTQ_saAPBZHMMeNtfPrIiNY0tmn2j7ulshx2H31-f2bKphjw8tpB3tdY0zI1m8Dj5P10H28y757ngFocgcIMs4nTt90Bl1fdWO858zF8qj0Qa8X8L2EHUHHvjkPM?purpose=fullsize" style="height:501px; width:750px"></p><p>There is arguably no language harder for a native English speaker to learn than Mandarin. The greatest challenge to speaking Mandarin is its writing system. Whereas the Latin alphabet is based on sound, each Chinese character, or Hanzi, stands for a word and a concept. A student would need to memorize 2,500-3,000 characters in order to be fluent in a newspaper; it can take students years of grueling, difficult work.</p><p>One thing that may trip up the language student is the language's reliance on tones. Mandarin is one of only four languages in the world to use tones in speech to distinguish words; thus meaning, one word spoken with a certain tone would have a completely different meaning with a different tone and one is required to say the exact same sentence in their native language in an entirely new way.</p><p>The grammar may be easy, since there are no conjugates or verbs that change with numbers, but sentence structure, measure words and a requirement for inferring word meaning due to the word's surrounding language create difficulties. Likewise, idiomatic expressions are often confusing for the language learner because of their cultural context and meaning. The pronunciation and listening is complicated because of the sheer speed in which Mandarin speakers converse and due to how many words in the language have identical spellings.</p><p>Because it is one of the languages spoken on the broadest geographical scale and by the most people on the globe, Mandarin presents language students with the task of committing years of rigorous, patient study for their reward of speaking with a language that's linguistically and culturally very different from English. Despite this, Mandarin's culture and influence still make it a wonderful and rewarding language to learn.</p><h2>2. Arabic</h2><p><img src="https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/JGFfa6QjmcyjIsuM8rm228TkksFJgA0p-u_SzonX7Qn-rK8Y9UFFoGD77y4m1wFzC6hV3-nOLMtGyeGVcgIeYldzmujTzNDcmP0_jVEwkBht5wDqLtL2eyhriAJxIvCZJTHj1DS-F8ZoX9n9r_wfbATysIxOqHfED8psV8-nGepzrXUHGj7tIaBnw3JvWVoK?purpose=fullsize" style="height:423px; width:750px"></p><p>Arabic is another language widely considered incredibly hard for English speakers to learn. The Arabic alphabet is completely foreign and can take a while to learn for its script only, but it is also written from right to left and the individual letters change shapes according to where they are positioned in a word. Pronunciation adds to the difficulty as many sounds are in the back of the throat and are not present in the English language.</p><p>Diglossia, or the existence of both written standard Arabic and colloquial dialects, presents another challenge to learning the language. A student of Arabic might study Modern Standard Arabic for reading and writing, but when travelling to different Arabic speaking nations such as Lebanon or Morocco, many learners will be challenged by new ways of pronouncing words and different syntax.</p><p>Like many other languages in this list, grammar in Arabic is also complicated, and its nature makes it much different from that of English. The entire structure of words in Arabic is based around the concept of roots, and verbs conjugate with a mind-boggling complexity according to gender, number, and tense. Similarly, nouns take various cases that alter their word endings depending on what their function is in a sentence.</p><p>For learners and students of Arabic, however, the challenge of mastering Arabic offers many rewards. Students can be introduced to a vast amount of literature, history, and philosophy dating back centuries.</p><h2>3. Japanese</h2><p><img alt="Street Signs in Downtown Tokyo, Japan" src="https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/dyZvhlm4L0gesWNCe_I88pN6yU1adHpVs1O_kWLonRORVdJ7ya0ymrPCvrUqgmSNUGKPEWjlYV6MOiDksoVvhNZoppkYf-WmaVsli3MySoPUIHBans4y5koIl3Qf4sRKEV8QbMQ8cxmOsjlvS-RID6_4cadF22O1wWdXmOauW4fv8fqoPT0YKHJGu1cutQ0B?purpose=fullsize" style="height:500px; width:750px"></p><p>Like Mandarin, learning Japanese is made incredibly difficult by a mix of three separate writing systems, along with difficult grammar. The language employs three writing systems in tandem, they are called Katakana, Hiragana, and Kanji. While Katakana and Hiragana are phonetically based; writing in syllables rather than individual sounds, Kanji is logographic in origin, the system based on writing and characters that originates in China.</p><p>In addition to thousands of characters that must be memorized, many of the characters have alternate pronunciations depending on their context in the sentence. This mix of three different writing systems means reading Japanese could be incredibly challenging even when students have reached a level where they can comprehend a simple newspaper article. The grammar system follows a subject-object-verb pattern in opposition to the subject-verb-object pattern in English and requires one to learn a system of particles for verb modification, topic identification and sentence emphasis.</p><p>The most difficult challenge for Japanese learners, arguably, would be the requirement of different levels of speech, or honorifics. One is required to know the proper degree of formality that is needed to speak to people one knows well versus speaking to teachers and elders. This often means speaking in a different way entirely, which even native speakers struggle with, and understanding the Japanese language means understanding its culture too.</p><h2>4. Korean</h2><p><img alt="TOPIK II Writing Masterclass &ndash; Improve your Korean Writing Skills | TOPIK GUIDE" src="https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/8IaF5BJGzBvpg3wxbQMQw7KMqDrDX49cxovqc2yijPq8JGB85S9WVk2u-I7Q4QbTM85fi0gmUYDYKxLrgNpyJA7N-RmWbrSN2RF7yYkUX6vYZ0phN_HxYxEYf6UyHhvzFh_sMZWiRH46zDwWtXM0xU3C3-mFh9oInb2IdkL8Q6kiLsbe61OQ6N9u5_cA_Gb7?purpose=fullsize" style="height:511px; width:750px"></p><p>Though perhaps seeming easier for English speakers because its alphabet, Hangul, is actually extremely simple to learn in a relatively short period of time, Korean soon shows its complexity to the language student. Korean grammar can be just as complicated and, at times, harder than that of Japanese. The standard order of sentences is, again, Subject-Object-Verb and verb conjugation can get very complicated for beginners, especially given the nuances in politeness and formality present in the language.</p><p>The system of speech levels present in Korean can even be considered more complex and far-reaching than that found in Japanese. Honorifics require careful study because depending on who the speaker is talking to (e.g. An older person or an elder), a different speech level must be used. Students of Korean quickly find that to be truly fluent requires not only knowledge of the language but also of its culture and how the people of South Korea interact with one another.</p><h2>5. Russian</h2><p><img alt="various signs and text in cyrillic script Moscow Russia" src="https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/BNl8C3Lir5Rab_ZatZLb-z1SXpn9MtqiD8UqI5K6ZwQ9ARfV9D6FJni0XnlYAIFaQbsC1S-l8_W8k3BX-3ay8UHGR0PINinhk4c0Q9sbS4hpi5arlfsHz56zZyUiGgvhAF3P1A3j0_-IEq9_kkx_F7O4fgcMGBB-fsAxR7GJv9k_cmeQKTiQTTrnHUEJniOl?purpose=fullsize" style="height:500px; width:750px"></p><p>Like several languages on this list, one of the hardest aspects of the Russian language is its alphabet, Cyrillic. It is phonetic and fairly easy to memorize, but the hard part of learning it may be understanding how the six cases of the language affect it. The case system requires that each word in a sentence takes on a different form based on the words it is attached to. Russian verbs are no easier as they include what are called aspect pairs, which are changes that a verb makes based on completed vs. Non-completed action.</p><p>Pronunciation can also be difficult with lots of different consonant clusters and word orders may also sound arbitrary to the English ear. The great literature and vast territory that the Russian language encompasses may make this challenge worth undertaking.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>Difficult languages may sound intimidating, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for you to learn one and it is worth looking into. Languages like Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Japanese and Russian require diligence, patience and dedication for students to truly master them, but it's a rewarding feeling that a language that's more straightforward doesn't bring. "Hardest" languages are those that are the most different to English. If you persevere and stay committed to one word, one phrase at a time, learning the language can be achievable.</p>