hardest languages in the world

Have you ever wondered which is the hardest language in the world? When thinking about learning a new language, whether it’s for studying abroad, career reasons, or just cultural exploration, people often wonder about the difficulty.

The difficulty of a language depends on factors such as grammar, pronunciation, writing systems, vocabulary, and cultural nuances. According to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Cantonese are among the most difficult to learn, often requiring up to 2,200 hours of study to achieve professional proficiency.

With more than 7,000 languages spoken globally, some are relatively easy to learn, while others can take years of dedicated practice to master. This is why many learners search for the hardest language in the world before starting their language-learning journey.

In this guide, we will understand what makes certain languages challenging and discover the top 20 hardest languages in the world based on language difficulty rankings and expert research.

 

Most 20 Hardest Languages in the World to Learn in 2026-2027

According to language experts and FSI language difficulty rankings, this is the hardest language in the world list:

Rank
Language
Difficulty Level
1
Mandarin Chinese
Extremely Difficult
2
Arabic
Extremely Difficult
3
Japanese
Extremely Difficult
4
Korean
Extremely Difficult
5
Cantonese
Extremely Difficult
6
Navajo
Very Difficult
7
Finnish
Very Difficult
8
Polish
Very Difficult
9
Russian
Very Difficult
10
Icelandic
Very Difficult
11
Hungarian
Difficult
12
Vietnamese
Difficult
13
Turkish
Difficult
14
Thai
Difficult
15
Greek
Difficult
16
Persian (Farsi)
Difficult
17
Hindi
Difficult
18
Czech
Difficult
19
Serbian
Difficult
20
Hebrew
Difficult

 

1. Mandarin Chinese 

It is commonly believed that Mandarin Chinese is the most difficult language in the world for English speakers to learn. There is no alphabet in this language, which implies that one needs to remember many characters in order to be able to read and write in it. It has nearly 1.1+ billion native speakers. Expect to spend about 2,200+ hours before reaching fluency.

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Why Mandarin is difficult to learn:

  • Four tones
  • Thousands of characters
  • No alphabet
  • Complex pronunciation

 

2. Arabic

Arabic has about 310+ million native speakers and takes roughly 2,200+ hours to learn. The Arabic language is one of the most difficult languages to learn due to its unique script, which is totally different from all others. This language is written from right to left, and short vowels are usually not used. Moreover, speaking Arabic varies from one country to another.

Why Arabic is difficult:

  • Right-to-left script
  • Different dialects
  • Complex grammar
  • Difficult pronunciation

 

3. Japanese

Around 123+ million people speak Japanese. Japanese is frequently listed as one of the hardest languages to learn in the world since the language entails learning three sets of writing systems—namely, Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. Japanese is also distinguished by various levels of politeness depending on the context. Its learning time is approximately 2,200+ hours

Why Japanese is difficult to learn:

  • Three writing systems
  • Thousands of Kanji characters
  • Honorific speech
  • Different sentence structure

 

4. Korean

The Korean language has more than 77 million speakers. And you can expect to learn Korean in 2,200+ hours

The Korean language has gained popularity in many parts of the world because of its music and dramas, but it is among the most challenging languages to learn. The Korean language has a different grammar from the English language.

Why Korean is difficult:

  • Subject-Object-Verb order
  • Multiple speech levels
  • Complex grammar
  • Honorific system

 

5. Cantonese

Cantonese is a commonly spoken language in Hong Kong and other parts of Southern China. It is one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn due to its numerous tones as compared to Mandarin. Moreover, this language is spoken by about 85 million people and takes an estimated 2,200 hours for English speakers to learn.

Why Cantonese is difficult:

  • Six to nine tones
  • Character-based writing
  • Complex pronunciation
  • Fewer learning resources

 

6. Finnish (Hardest Language in the World)

Finnish is considered one of the hardest languages to learn in Europe. It falls under the Uralic language group and shares very few similarities with English. It is very difficult for learners because of the complex grammar and vocabulary. Its estimated learning time is 1,100+ hours, and it has 5.5+ million speakers

Why Finnish is difficult:

  • 15 grammatical cases
  • Vowel harmony
  • Unique vocabulary
  • Complex word formation

 

7. Polish 

Polish is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn when it comes to pronunciation and grammar. The use of consonant clusters and changes in the ending letters of words makes it extremely challenging for non-native speakers. Polish has about 40 million native speakers, according to Ethnologue. Its learning time is approximately 1,100+ hours

Why Polish is difficult:

  • Seven grammatical cases
  • Difficult pronunciation
  • Verb aspects
  • Gender-based grammar

 

8. Russian

Russian has about 150 million native speakers and takes an estimated 1,100+ hours for English speakers to learn. The Russian language makes use of the Cyrillic alphabet, an unknown language for many people. Besides, the nouns and adjectives in Russian have different forms based on how they are used in the sentence.

Why Russian is difficult:

  • Cyrillic script
  • Six grammatical cases
  • Flexible word order
  • Verb aspect system

 

9. Icelandic

Icelandic has about 370,000+ speakers (native), and you can learn this language by spending 1,100+ hours. The Icelandic language has retained many grammatical structures from the Viking Age. The language comprises complicated noun structures and extensive vocabulary, which may prove challenging for foreigners.

Why Icelandic is difficult:

  • Archaic grammar
  • Multiple noun cases
  • Unique vocabulary
  • Limited learning resources

 

10. Hungarian 

Hungarian also belongs to the Uralic language family and uses very few words similar to English words. The language consists of long words with many suffixes, making it one of the most challenging languages to learn. Nearly more than 14 million people speak Hungarian as their native language, and the time required to learn this language is 1,100+ hours

Why Hungarian is difficult:

  • 18 grammatical cases
  • Agglutinative grammar
  • Complex suffixes
  • Unique vocabulary

 

11. Navajo

Navajo is spoken by roughly 170,000 people and is estimated to take 2,200+ hours for English speakers to learn. The Navajo language is well known for its very complex grammatical system. A verb in the Navajo language can carry as much meaning as an entire sentence in the English language.

Why Navajo is difficult:

  • Complex verb structures
  • Tonal pronunciation
  • Limited resources
  • Unique grammar patterns

 

12. Vietnamese ( Most Difficult language in the world )

Vietnamese is written using the Latin script, but pronunciation is still hard since the language is tonal. It has a learning time of 1,100+ hours, and more than 85 million people speak Vietnamese as their native language. Regional dialects also vary when it comes to vocabulary and accent.

Why Vietnamese is difficult:

  • Six tones
  • Regional dialects
  • Pronunciation challenges
  • Classifier system

 

13. Turkish 

Turkish has more than 80 million native speakers. It has grammatical logic but forms long words by attaching suffixes to a root word. You can learn Turkish by spending 1,100+ hours. There is also a unique sentence structure.

Why Turkish is difficult:

  • Agglutinative structure
  • Vowel harmony
  • Long words
  • Different word order

 

14. Thai

Thai has a distinctive writing system with a tonal pattern of pronunciation. The reading aspect is challenging for learners due to the lack of spacing between words in written Thai. With over 60 million speakers, Thai takes roughly 1,100+ hours of study, mostly because of its five tones and its own script

Why Thai is difficult:

  • Five tones
  • Unique script
  • No spaces between words
  • Complex pronunciation

 

15. Greek

Greek uses a distinct alphabet and has a grammatical structure quite different from that of English. Noun genders and verbs have to be learned as well by students.

Why Greek is difficult:

  • Greek alphabet
  • Gender rules
  • Multiple cases
  • Complex verbs

 

16. Persian (Farsi)

Persian is easier compared to other Middle Eastern languages; however, learning the language requires a student to learn the use of a new alphabet as well as sentence structure. This language is in the same FSI category as Russian (Category III).

Why Persian is difficult:

  • Arabic-based script
  • Different grammar structure
  • Formal and informal usage
  • New vocabulary patterns

 

17. Hindi


Hindi has more than 600 million speakers (including second-language speakers). It is among the most spoken languages in the world. The students face difficulties with the Devanagari script and gender-based grammar in their initial stage of learning. You can learn Hindi with 1,100+ study hours

Why Hindi is difficult:

  • Devanagari script
  • Gender-based grammar
  • Postpositions
  • Honorific speech

 

18. Czech

The Czech language features complicated grammar and pronunciation. It utilizes several cases in nouns and different forms of verbs. Czech can be learned by spending 1,100+ hours. 

Why Czech is difficult:

  • Seven grammatical cases
  • Complex pronunciation
  • Verb aspects
  • Changing word forms

 

19. Serbian

Serbian is spoken by 12 million people. It is unique in that it has two official scripts—Latin and Cyrillic. One must be aware of a system of grammar rules that incorporates many cases and verb conjugations.

Why Serbian is difficult:

  • Two writing systems
  • Seven cases
  • Complex grammar
  • Verb conjugations

 

20. Hebrew

Hebrew is spoken by about 9 million people and is estimated to take 1,100+ hours for English speakers to learn. It is a language that combines a very old alphabet with contemporary speaking. It is read from right to left, and the omission of vowels in common texts makes comprehension difficult.

Why it is difficult:

  • Right-to-left script
  • Omitted vowels
  • Root-based vocabulary
  • Gender-based grammar

 

How Long to Learn the Hardest Languages? FSI Language Difficulty Rankings

According to the FSI, the number of hours required to learn a language is based on its difficulty level among English speakers.

Language Category Estimated Study Time Examples
Category I (Easy) 600–750 Hours Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese
Category II (Moderate) Around 900 Hours German, Indonesian, Malay
Category III (Difficult) Around 1,100 Hours Hindi, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Finnish
Category IV/V (Hardest) Around 2,200 Hours Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean

Linguists believe that languages that belong to Group IV/V are the hardest languages in the world, requiring 2,200 hours or 88 weeks of dedicated learning to gain professional fluency.


Which are the Most Difficult Languages in the World?

Mandarin Chinese has been widely acknowledged by linguists and institutions providing language courses as the toughest language to learn for native English speakers. 

  • The writing system in this language uses characters rather than an alphabet, thus posing great challenges for learners who have to memorize numerous characters. 
  • Mandarin is a tonal language whereby one cannot simply change the way they pronounce some words since even a slight change can entirely change the meaning of the word. 
  • As reported by research conducted on foreign language acquisition and FSI classifications of the time necessary to master a language, learners require approximately 2,200 hours of study to attain professional proficiency.

Due to all these features, Mandarin is always rated as the hardest language in the world.

Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers

The following are considered the most difficult languages to learn for native English speakers:

  1. Mandarin Chinese
  2. Arabic
  3. Japanese
  4. Korean
  5. Cantonese
  6. Finnish
  7. Russian
  8. Polish
  9. Icelandic
  10. Hungarian

What Makes a Language Difficult to Learn?

The level of difficulty of a language usually depends on three important aspects, which include pronunciation, writing system, and grammar. Languages that differ considerably from one’s native language tend to be more difficult.

  1. Pronunciation Problems

The most difficult language in the world has certain sounds or tones that cannot be easily learned by an English-speaking person. For instance, Mandarin is a tonal language where each sound may alter the meaning of a word entirely. Additionally, Arabic is distinguished by special throat sounds.

  1. Complicated Writing System

Difficult languages usually have complex writing systems that vary greatly from the standard English alphabet. For example, the process of mastering Mandarin involves learning about thousands of characters, whereas Japanese has at least three writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji). Besides, the Arabic writing system is complicated by its right-to-left direction.

  1. Grammar Difficulties

The hardest language in the world is characterized by complicated grammatical features. For instance, Japanese and Korean languages require different sentence structures to be used compared to English. Moreover, Arabic has plenty of verb forms that complicate the learning process.

Fastest Ways to Learn Difficult Languages

To master the hardest language in the world, it is important to be consistent and use the right methods.

Learn Popular Words First

Learning around 100-200 popular words and expressions will help you communicate effectively.

Practice Listening and Speaking Every Day

Consistent listening and speaking practice will make it easier to understand and pronounce words correctly.

Utilize Technology to Your Advantage

There are lots of free language learning tools on your smartphone and other online sources.

Speak With Native Speakers

Communicating with native speakers is one of the best ways to achieve fluency.

Be Consistent

It is better to spend about 15-20 minutes practicing every day rather than spending many hours once a week.

Enjoy learning.

If you don’t stress over learning a new language and simply enjoy it, the journey becomes much easier.


Final Thoughts

The hardest language in the world varies from person to person and largely depends on your native language and learning background. However, languages such as Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, and Korean are often ranked among the hardest languages in the world due to their complex writing systems, grammar, and pronunciation.

Although these are considered some of the most difficult languages to learn, consistent practice, patience, and the right learning approach can help anyone achieve fluency over time.

Want to start with an easier language first? Explore Kochiva’s beginner-friendly courses today.

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Frequently Asked Questions (People Also Ask)

Which is the hardest language in the world?

The Mandarin Chinese language is believed to be the hardest language in the world since it has complex tonal pronunciation and script, along with other challenging features.

Which are the hardest languages in the world?

The languages that fall under the category of being the most difficult language in the world include Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Finnish, Russian, Polish, Icelandic, and Hungarian.

How long does it take to learn the hardest languages?

Languages that can be considered the most difficult to learn will require about 2,200 hours to reach professional-level fluency.

Is Arabic harder than Japanese?

Both these languages fall under the category of being the hardest language in the world; however, Japanese requires more effort since it has three different writing systems.

Is Korean one of the hardest languages in the world?

Korean is considered one of the hardest languages in the world because of its grammar, honorifics, and sentence structures.