List of Top 10 Hardest Languages in the World: There are around 7000 languages in the world out of which the top 10 hardest languages in the world are Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Finnish, Icelandic, Polish, Turkish, and Vietnamese. The difficulty level of learning any language depends on its sentence structure, grammar, and word formation, not on its popularity.
The hardest language can be the most spoken language in the world. Keeping English as a comparing language these top 10 languages are categorized as the hardest language.
In this article, we have provided the list of top 10 hardest languages in the World that are very difficult to learn, and details about these languages.
About Hardest Languages in the World
The hardest languages in the world present unique challenges for language learners due to their complex grammar, intricate writing systems, and diverse linguistic features. Languages such as Mandarin Chinese, with its tonal system and vast character set, pose significant difficulties for non-native speakers. Arabic, known for its intricate morphology and complex script, is another formidable language to master. Others like Japanese, with its multiple writing systems and nuanced honorifics, and Korean, with its unique sentence structure and honorifics, also rank among the toughest. Additionally, languages like Finnish, Hungarian, and Icelandic, known for their complex grammar and limited cognates with other languages, present significant hurdles for learners.
Importance of Language
The main purpose of language is human interaction. Language acts as a medium for humans to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions which could be understood by others. Language is not limited to the forms of alphabets but is also expressed in the form of symbols, signs, and sounds. All these forms are used to exchange one’s thoughts with others. With the rapid growth in global trade, cross-country education, and migration of the population over time, the need to learn international languages has increased gradually. These international languages may include the hardest languages in the world.
List of Top 10 Hardest Languages in the World
In this article, we will learn about the top 10 hardest languages in the world, their history, and why they are considered to be the hardest to learn.
|
Rank
|
Language
|
Popularity
|
|
1
|
Mandarin
|
1.118 billion
|
|
2
|
Arabic
|
313 million
|
|
3
|
Japanese
|
125.1 million
|
|
4
|
Korean
|
80.7 million
|
|
5
|
Hungarian
|
10.3 million
|
|
6
|
Finnish
|
5.5 million
|
|
7
|
Icelandic
|
0.35 million
|
|
8
|
Polish
|
40 million
|
|
9
|
Turkish
|
81.6 million
|
|
10
|
Vietnamese
|
85 million
|
Hardest Language in the World – Mandarin
Mandarin is the hardest language in the world. This language is widely spoken as China has huge population. Also, there is worldwide popularity of Mandarin. The Chinese people call it Mandarin Pǔtōnghuà.
The historical evidences of the origin of this language is found to be related to the 20th century. Once the Republic of China was formed, the quest for an official language was initiated which ended in 1932 with the establishment of Mandarin as the official language of the nation.
Mandarin is considered to be the hardest language in the world for multiple reasons. Some of them are:
- Mandarin is completely different from commonly spoken language like English, french and Spanish. Hence it becomes very unreliable while learning as nothing common could be identified.
- The language completely depends on the tonality of the speaker. There are mainly four tones in which every word of Mandarin is spoken. Each tone gives a different meaning to the same word. As a result, it become very important to get the tone right. while learning.
- Also, the script of this language is symbol-based. Word has its symbol or combination of symbols. There are around a thousand symbols to be learned.
Second Hardest Language in the World – Arabic
Arabic is the second hardest language in the world. This language is widely spoken in the Islamic country and quite popular among the Islamic population. Also, there is a religious significance of this language as the holy book Quran is written in Arabic.
The evidence related to the origin and usage of the Arabic language shows that this language has been used since the 8th century, making the Arabic language one of the oldest languages in the world. It was initially used by the nomadic people of the Arabic peninsula and spread allover the world over time.
Arabic is a difficult language to learn because of the following factors:
- There is almost no similarity between Arabic and the widely spoken English language. Hence makes it hard to adapt by non-native people.
- Also, unlike English or any other European language, Arabic is written from right to left and the rules of grammar of Arabic are quite different from English as well as other system languages.
- This language is very sensitive in terms of pronunciation. two words that sound relatively similar may have different meaning just because of some minor difference in pronunciation.
Third Hardest Language in the World – Japanese
The Japanese language is considered to be the third hardest language in the world. This language is completely different from all other languages. Japanese language sounds very polite just like Japanese people. Despite being the hardest language, Japanese language has gained popularity among the people due to their admiration for Japan and its culture.
This language is found to have been used first during the 8th century. Since then this language has undergone various changes. The script of this language is derived from Chinese but the language is quite different from the native Chinese language.
Japanese is quite difficult due to the following reasons:
- The uniqueness of this language increases its complexity. There are three scripts Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji that are to be learned for reach fluency and understanding.
- While Hiragana and Katakana are phonic alphabets, Kanji is based on a Chinese symbol. Hence it is quite difficult to keep a balance and understanding of this three language while writing.
- The Japanese language is speech-sensitive. It has various speeches of different levels which can distinguish a formal conversation from a casual one. Therefore, one has to be very careful while speaking.
Fourth Hardest Language in the World – Korean
The fourth hardest language in the World is Korean. Although this language is considered to be the hardest to learn it has gained huge popularity due to the worldwide audience of Korean drama and BTS group. Now, people are more conveniently adapting the language through social media.
No clear evidence could be found related to the origin and historic usage of the Korean language. The modern Korean language has been used by the population since the 16th century till date.
The factors that made this language one of the hardest languages are as follows:
- Hangul is used as an alphabetic system in the Korean language. The structure of sentences in this language follows Subject-Object-Verb Approach.
- This language is written from left to right but read from top to bottom. Hence need great practice to understand the scripts.
- Although many loanwords are frequently used while speaking still this language seems to be very different from other languages.
Fifth Hardest Language in the World – Hungarian
Hungarian is the world’s fifth hardest language. this language is completely different from its neighboring European languages. Its 26 alphabets and complex grammar rules make this language hard. This language is officially called Maygar.
Hungarian or Maygar is a language that originated among the nomadic tribes from Asia and Europe. Over period the influence of various cultures and other languages has filled the language with variety in vocabulary.
Hungarian is considered to be the hardest because of the following reasons:
- In this language, many components of grammar can be added to a word which affects the meaning of the word in the sentence. Hence a single small word can become complex and utilised in different conditions.
- This language has 44 alphabetes, 9 vowels, and 17 cases which makes the script difficult to learn. Also, this language is phonetic, hence pronunciation is a major factor.
- The Hungarian language is based on the Uralic language. But it has a major influence of other languages resulting in huge variance in interpreting the language to non native speakers.
Sixth Hardest Language in the World – Finnish
Finnish is the sixth hardest language in the world. This is the native language of Finland and Sweden. A small section of Russia also uses this language. The usage of Finnish is limited to casual conversation only.
Finnish is a Uralic language which has originated in 1500 BC. The evidence related to this language is mostly found in the land that is situated in Turkey.
The Finnish language is considered to be the hardest for the following reasons:
- Finnish does not have its own script rather it uses Latin script. Hence speaking and writing seem to be less related.
- Most of the finished words are derived from other languages such as Arabic, German, french, and English.
- There are 29 alphabets and 15 cases of nouns that increase its complexity. Also, Finnish grammar does not have a future tense.
Seventh Hardest Language in the World – Icelandic
Icelandic is the seventh hardest language in the world. The country Iceland with a population of 3.7 million owns this language as the official language.
This Language originated from the Norwegian language as the people from Norway migrated to Iceland for settlement. After the adaptation of Christianity, the language has faced various changes due to cultural influences.
Icelandic is considered to be one of the hardest languages due to the following factors.
- Iceland has a committee that invents words for this language. Hence there is a rapid growth in the list of words in Icelandic.
- As there are very few words adapted from English and other languages, learning Icelandic becomes very difficult for non-native people. Also the grammar has its complexity.
- Although Icelandic words are different from the rest of the world but it shares common German pronunciation system.
Eighth Hardest Language in the World – Polish
The eighth hardest language in the world is Polish. The official language of Poland, Polish is a widely spoken Slavic language. Over 40 million people speak Polish in the world.
Polish originated from the West Slavic language and adapted Latin script during the conversion of Polish people in Christianity. After WWI, Polish became the official language of Poland.
This language is labeled as one of the hardest languages due to the following reasons:
- Polish has 14 cases in comparison to 2 cases of English.
- It takes almost half a year to learn basic Polish for a nonnative person.
- Also, this language is Slavic hence seems to be tricky for non-polish person.
Ninth Hardest Language in the World – Turkish
Turkish is the ninth hardest language in the world. This language is widely used in the middle east and some of the European states. This language also enlisted among the hardest languages but nowadays people are likely to grow interest towed Turkish due to social media.
This language was used 8500 years ago till date. Many scripts and documents are found in the middle east shows its geographical origination
Turkish is considered to be one of the hardest languages due to following reasons:
- The Turkish language is phonetic and use Latin scripts.
- There is internal variation in Turkish as it includes 39 languages. Hence it is difficult to learn such a rich vocabulary.
- Turkish words are suffix extensive which is an important factor to be considered while using the language.
Tenth Hardest Language in the World – Vietnamese
Widely spoken language, Vietnamese is the tenth hardest language in the world. Yet this language is the largest in the globe. Only 1 million non-Vietnamese speak this language due to its complexity.
This language is 4000 years old and has a huge influence on Chinese, French, and Latin language.
Vietnamese is labeled as one of the hardest languages due to the following reasons:
- This language depends on tonality and pronunciation needs special attention.
- Vietnamese language contain only monosyllabic words.
- Chữ quốc ngữ script is used while writing Vietnamese.
Conclusion – Top 10 Hardest Languages in the World
Learning various languages is very important in today’s world. With the growing trade and international relations among the countries, exchange of culture and heritage, knowledge of international language became very important. Also, it is not necessary that the hardest language is the least spoken language in the world. For example, mandarin is the most popular language among all the ten hardest languages but it is also the hardest. Vietnamese, which holds the tenth position in the list is spoken by only 1 million non-native speakers. Every language has its uniqueness based on its vocabularies like Icelandic or word sounds like Vietnamese monosyllabic words or suffixes extensive words of the Turkish language.
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FAQ on Top 10 Hardest Languages in the World
What is the hardest language in the world?
There is no definitive answer, but Mandarin Chinese, with its tonal system and complex characters, is often considered one of the toughest.
Is Arabic a difficult language to learn?
Yes, Arabic is challenging due to its intricate grammar, diverse dialects, and complex script.
What makes Japanese a difficult language to learn?
Japanese poses challenges with its three writing systems (hiragana, katakana, and kanji), complex honorifics, and unique sentence structure.
Why is Korean considered a difficult language to master?
Korean’s intricate grammar, honorifics, and unfamiliar phonetic sounds contribute to its reputation as a challenging language.
What are the challenges of learning Finnish?
Finnish is known for its complex grammar, including extensive case systems and vowel harmony, making it challenging for non-native speakers.
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