9 Hardest Languages To Learn For English Speakers

Learning a new language is difficult, especially as you get older; there are many that are difficult, but we’ve compiled a list of the 9 hardest languages to learn for English speakers.

English is one of the six approved languages by the United Nations. Each of the six languages celebrates their respective language day, and English is celebrated every April 23. It’s a language widely taught all around the world, and different types of online and offline ESL programs are readily available. Investors have put up their physical offices in order to conduct online ESL classes where they have partners from their respective countries generate enrollees. Online teachers are provided the materials on what to teach students. There are also trial lessons to get to know students.

The languages closest to English are Danish, Dutch, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Swedish. These all fall under the umbrella of Indo-European languages, which means they’re spoken throughout Europe and South Asia. The languages would, therefore, be easiest to learn for an English speaker. I, myself, have learned a bit of French, Spanish, and Norwegian, and can attest to the fact that they’re relatively easy, especially compared to the ones on this list.

It’s important to learn a second language for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it’s cool and impressive if you speak another language. Universities and high schools have subjects to help you learn another language and is a great start. You can also further this knowledge through books and audio or extra online courses. We’re often motivated to learn other languages not just to know the language, but to gain a better knowledge of a different culture. Each language comes with historical and cultural contexts that one must know. If you visit a country and encounter a native speaker, they will appreciate your efforts to learn their language.

Alphabet, pronunciation, and the way letters or characters are written are all part of the learning process. The ones with exceptional differences to the English language are the hardest to learn for English speakers, and therefore they made it to this list. Although the respective languages have their own ancient roots, we can never deny that because of colonization, foreign languages have influenced how other languages are spread throughout the world. Indo-European languages are the most widely spoken throughout the world. To compile this list, we gathered the languages with the greatest and most significant linguistic and cultural differences from English to round out the 9 hardest languages to learn for English speakers. You can also check out our list of the 7 Easiest Languages to Learn for Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic Speakers. 

Let’s check out what languages made this list:

9. Finnish

Finnish is from the Uralic language family and is gender neutral.

8. Vietnamese

Vietnamese is rooted from the Austro-Asiatic language family and is a branch of the Mon-Khmer language. Although it’s influenced by Chinese, Vietnamese uses a Latin alphabet.

7. Estonian

Estonian is rooted from the Uralic language, specifically the Finnic branch closely related to Hungarian. Estonian vocabulary is influenced by many other language groups, such as Germanic.

6. Japanese

Next in line on our list of hardest languages to learn for English speakers is Japanese. This language’s scripts have three categories that all have different alphabets: Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana. Kanji has characters that are of Chinese origins. Hiragana and Katakana are from modified Chinese characters. Throughout the years, the Japanese language has adopted foreign words from English, Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish.

5. Korean

The Korean alphabet is called Hangul and has 14 consonants and ten vowels. Korean vocabulary is derived about 50 percent from Chinese. The influence of the US led to English words also being absorbed into Korean.

4. Mongolian

Ar number 4 on our list of hardest languages to learn for English speakers we have Mongolian that is from the Altaic language family and uses vowel harmony.

3. Thai

The root of Thai is Tai-Kadai. Just like Chinese, the meaning of a syllable or word depends on the pronunciation. Diacritics, which are signs written above or below the consonants, are used to define the tone of pronunciation and therefore the meaning.

2. Arabic

Arabic, along with Amharic, Tigrinya, and Hebrew, belongs to the Semitic language category. Consonants are dominant in the Arabic alphabet and there are few vowels. Words are written from right to left in a horizontal fashion, which is a definite change from English.

1. Chinese

Coming in at number one on the list of 9 hardest languages to learn for English speakers is Chinese. The two widely used and popular Chinese dialects are Mandarin and Cantonese. Mandarin has a variety of syllable duration, while Cantonese grammar can change the meaning of a sentence depending on the placement of words. The meaning of a syllable varies on the intonation when pronounced. The language also looks visibly different to English, which is why it tops the list.

That concludes the list of 9 hardest languages to learn for English speakers. What languages can you speak, if any, and did they make our list?