Some languages are more difficult than others. However, which language is the most difficult? This is a common question. The Foreign Service Institute considers Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Arabic, and Korean to be the most difficult languages for English speakers. However, in my own experience, I believe that this question requires more nuance. 

In this post, I’ll share with you what makes a language difficult and which ones I’ve found particularly challenging. 

Similar Languages Are Not Necessarily A Cake Walk

If your target language is similar to your native language, you should have an easier time. It’s a huge advantage, drawing from common vocabulary and sentence structure. However, it’s important to understand that you’re still learning a different language. You still need to put forth a fair amount of effort.

I remember going to Portugal for the first time. I already spoke Spanish, and this gave me a boost with Portuguese. However, despite the similarities, I couldn’t really use the language. The Portuguese people I met sensed this, and they would reply to me in English. 

I first attempted to learn Portuguese (well before LingQ) without much success. I used a Living Language starter book. The phrases were disconnected and lacked context, so I never got a good foothold in the language. I also bought a book with examples that specifically distinguish Portuguese from Spanish, but this didn’t help either. 

Even if your target language is extremely similar to your own language, the method is unchanged. You need vast amounts of reading and listening. I eventually gave Portuguese another go, focusing on comprehensible input.  I read and listened to texts that interested me, and my brain got used to the language. Hours and hours of podcasts on interesting subjects from sites like RTP, Cafe Brasil, and Audio Globo led me to a stronger grasp of Portuguese. 

It was difficult for me to transition from Spanish to Portuguese. I was reluctant to change my pronunciation and embrace the subtle differences between the two languages. However, I gradually grew more accustomed to the language.  I repeat that input, lots of input, is the most effective way to learn any language.

What makes a language difficult?

Let’s start by clarifying that motivation is a major factor in assessing the difficulty of a language. For example, if you’re not particularly excited by your language, the road to fluency will be more arduous. If you are very motivated to learn a language, you’ll more likely overcome its obstacles and embrace the challenge.

However, there are objective considerations that make some languages more difficult than others. 

1. Writing system

As an English speaker, I always find it easier to learn languages that are written in the Latin alphabet. I’m used to reading this alphabet and more comfortable as a reader. 

No matter how much I read in related alphabets, such Cyrillic or Greek, a different writing system is more cumbersome. There is just a little more resistance, and it’s not limited to the initial stages of language learning. I speak Japanese fluently, but reading in this language is still a challenge. There’s more friction. Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese writing systems are great obstacles for a language learner.

Reading is such a fundamental part of language acquisition, and a new writing system adds a level of resistance. Usually, languages with different writing systems take more time to learn. The language itself isn’t necessarily more difficult, but the learning progress will be slower.

2. Vocabulary

Languages with less common vocabulary will be more difficult to learn. Common words and expressions are undoubtedly quite helpful. 90% of vocabulary between Spanish and Portuguese is recognizably similar. Needless to say, a Spanish speaker can learn Portuguese faster than an English speaker learning Japanese. 

3. Grammar

It has been my experience that the Slavic languages, for example, with case endings, verb aspects, and a unique way of treating verbs of motion, are inherently more complicated. Grammatically, I find Slavic languages more difficult than Mandarin or even Japanese.

This complexity requires you to try to remember the correct endings, to sense the correct aspect of a verb, and do this naturally while speaking. It takes a lot of input, and a lot of time to use new structures and concepts intuitively. I did not have these problems while learning Mandarin.

4. Pronunciation

The only aspect of pronunciation which I think is intrinsically difficult is intonation or tones in tonal languages.

Here again, it is just a matter of time. Lots of listening, lots of practice, lots of trial and error. But make no mistake, there are lots of speakers of non-tonal languages who achieve a high degree of accuracy.

5. Politeness

What Is The Hardest Language To Learn?

In all languages there are different registers: polite language, casual language, and rough language.

Some languages, especially Japanese and Korean, have marked differences of speech depending on the social relationship between the speakers. This can seem difficult at first, but my experience with Japanese was that if I tried to stay neutral, avoiding either rough casual speech or overly polite speech, I slowly, just through exposure, found myself hitting the appropriate politeness level more and more.

Learners shouldn’t overthink politeness and formality. Native speakers don’t really expect the non-native to get the politeness right, especially at the beginning. If the learner is at all attentive to the language, he or she will naturally acquire these language habits.

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So, what is the most difficult language to learn? Ultimately, this is an individual answer. Our motivation and the time we put in  determine how easy we find a language to be. Lots of compelling content, interesting material for reading and listening, can be crucial to perceived difficulty and overall success. 

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