Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese are among the toughest languages for English speakers to learn, particularly due to their complex grammar, writing, and pronunciation systems. Moreover, Mandarin Chinese is also one of the most spoken native languages in the world. According to data from Ethnologue, it is spoken by over 1 billion speakers around the globe. Mandarin is also one of the most commonly spoken and official dialects of Chinese, spoken by approximately 80% of the Chinese population. According to the European Business Review, the influence of the Chinese language is growing steadily across the globe. In addition, Chinese language education is part of the national education system of over 70 countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and Africa. The growing influence of the Chinese language is attributed to China's economic power and the staggering number of Chinese speakers around the globe. You can look at the 17 Hardest Languages to Learn in the World for Non-English Speakers to read more about the hardest languages.
Economic Outlook of China
China is one of the largest economies in the world. According to a report by the World Trade Organization, China ranked 32nd on the list of the largest exporters 40 years ago and has shown significant growth since then. The Chinese economy has grown at the rate of 9.1% annually over the past four decades. As of 2024, China's GDP stands at $18.56 trillion. Furthermore, based on purchasing power parity, China boasts one of the world's largest shares of global GDP, at 19.05%.
Regarding GDP growth, the Chinese economy experienced slower-than-usual GDP growth of 3.2% in 2022. The slower growth is attributed to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, a decline in the housing market, and sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19. According to a report by the Bank of China, the GDP growth rates for 2023 were projected to be 3.6%, 5.3%, and 6.6%, based on pessimistic, baseline, and optimistic expectations. Moreover, 2023 was also marked as the first year of implementation of the strategic plan presented by the 20th CPC National Congress. Although the investment growth rates were expected to remain low for 2023, the fallout from COVID-19, recovering consumption rates, and pro-growth policies helped stabilize the economy. To read about Chinese stocks, you can also look at the 11 Most Promising Chinese Stocks According to Analysts and the 13 Best Chinese Stocks To Buy Right Now.
Business in China
Some of the top companies driving the Chinese economy include Tencent Holdings Limited (HKG:0700), Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), and BYD (SHE:002594).
Tencent Holding Limited (HKG:0700) is a leading internet provider in China. The company also operates in the mobile, telecommunications, and online advertisement markets. Tencent Holding Limited (HKG:0700) has 17 functional subsidiaries, including but not limited to WeChat, Tencent Music Entertainment, and Tencent Gaming Buddy. On November 16, 2023, Tencent Holding Limited (HKG:0700) reported its global partnership with Visa Inc (NYSE:V) to facilitate remittances to digital wallets via Visa Direct. Digital wallet users are expected to exceed 5 billion by 2026, making it one of the fastest-growing financial instruments.
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), is a leading Chinese technology and e-commerce company. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA), through its subsidiaries, operates in seven market segments, including international commerce, China commerce, local consumer services, cloud services, and digital media and entertainment. Wall Street is positive on Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA). On February 8, JP Morgan analyst Alex Yao maintained an overweight rating on Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) and revised his price target to $105 from $110. Over the past 3 months, 15 Wall Street analysts have given a buy rating on Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA). Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) has an average price target of $101.49 and a high forecast of $137.10.
BYD (SHE:002594) is a leading Chinese conglomerate. BYD (SHE:002594) has established over 30 industrial parks globally and is a key player in the automotive and semiconductor industries. The company owns various subsidiaries, including but not limited to BYD Semiconductors, BYD Auto, and BYD Electronics. On December 29, 2023, BYD (SHE:002594) announced the successful acquisition of Jabil Inc (NYSE:JBL) through its subsidiary, BYD Electronics, for RMB14.92 billion. Jabil Inc (NYSE:JBL) is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing companies.
Learning the Chinese language can be helpful to tap into the economy of China. While Chinese is one of the hardest languages for English speakers to learn, there are several others. With this context, let's look at the top 20 languages with the hardest grammar for English speakers.
Top 20 Languages with the Hardest Grammar for English Speakers
A close up macro image of someone using a mobile device to learn a new language.
Our Methodology
To compile the list of the top 20 languages with the hardest grammar for English speakers, we used the Foreign Services Institute data on Foreign Language Training. Foreign Services Institute categorizes languages into 4 broad categories based on the number of class hours required to learn a language. For this article, we used Category 3 and Category 4, which require 1,100 and 2,200 class hours for English speakers to learn.
The Foreign Services Institute does not give individual rankings for the languages. Therefore, we employed a consensus methodology to rank our languages. We shifted through the rankings of Berlitz, Busuu, Southwest Journal, Mango Languages, Far and Wide, and Solo Lingual to get a list of 40 languages with the hardest grammar for English speakers. We selected only those languages that belonged to Category 3 and Category 4 of the Foreign Services Institute data and appeared in at least 3 of our sources. Next, we ranked these languages based on their average rank among our sources. We used the number of mentions as a tie-breaker for instances where two or more languages had the same rank.
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Top 20 Languages with the Hardest Grammar for English Speakers
20. Turkish
Number of Mentions: 6
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 13.7
First on our list is the Turkish language, with an average ranking of 13.7 across our sources. It belongs to the Atlantic group of languages and is spoken in Turkey, Cyprus, and parts of Europe and the Middle East. It takes around 1,100 class hours for an English speaker to learn the Turkish language.
19. Russian
Number of Mentions: 6
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 12.5
The Russian language belongs to the eastern wing of the Slavic language family. It is the official language of Russia and ranks 19th on our list of 20 languages with the hardest grammar for English Speakers to learn, with an average rank of 12.5.
18. Tagalog
Number of Mentions: 3
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 11.5
Tagalog belongs to the Austronesian language family and is the official language of the Philippines. The language is notable for its complex grammar and three distinct types of passive constructions that make up the verbal system of Tagalog.
17. Polish
Number of Mentions: 5
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 11
Ranking 17th on our list is Polish language, with an average ranking of 11 across our sources. It is considered tough to learn for English speakers, and it takes an average of 1,100 class hours to learn the language. It belongs to the west wing of Slavic languages and is most commonly spoken in Poland.
16. Farsi
Number of Mentions: 5
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 11
Farsi, also known as Persian, is the official language of Iran and belongs to the Indo-Iranian language family. Though the grammar of modern Farsi is easier than the ancient version, it is still a tough language for English speakers and requires around 1,100 class hours to learn.
15. Serbian
Number of Mentions: 4
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 10.3
Making it to the top 15 of our list is the Serbian language, which has an average ranking of 10.3 across our sources. Serbian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is written using the same letters as Croats, Bosniaks, and Montenegrins languages. It is considered tough to learn and requires approximately 1,100 class hours for English speakers.
14. Hungarian
Number of Mentions: 6
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 10.2
Hungarian belongs to the Uralic language family and is primarily spoken in Hungary. It ranks as the 14th toughest language for English speakers to learn, with an average ranking of 10.2. Hungarian has a complex grammar, spoken, and written system and requires, on average, 1,100 class hours for English speakers to learn.
13. Bulgarian
Number of Mentions: 3
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 9.3
Bulgarian is written in Cyrillic alphabets and belongs to the Slavic language family. It is difficult to learn, similar to other Slavic languages, and it takes about 1,100 class hours for English speakers to learn. It is most commonly spoken in Bulgaria and parts of Greece, Moldova, and Romania.
12. Croatian
Number of Mentions: 3
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 9.2
Belonging to the Indo-European language family, Croatian ranks 12th on our list of 20 languages with the toughest grammar for English speakers and has an average ranking of 9.2 across our sources. It is the official language of Croatia and is also spoken in other parts of Europe.
11. Albanian
Number of Mentions: 4
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 8.2
Albanian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is more commonly spoken in Albania. It ranks 11th on our list with an average ranking of 8.2. Though the language has similar grammar to other European languages, it is tough for English speakers and takes around 1,100 class hours to learn.
10. Vietnamese
Number of Mentions: 5
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 8
Vietnamese is the 10th toughest language for English speakers to learn and has an average ranking of 8 across our sources. It is the official language of Vietnam and belongs to the Austroasiatic language family. Moreover, an English speaker takes around 1,100 class hours to learn Vietnamese.
9. Greek
Number of Mentions: 4
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 7.7
Greek ranks 9th on our list and is one of the oldest languages. Belonging to the Indo-European language family, it is primarily spoken in Greece. Greek has an average ranking of 7.7, particularly due to its complex grammar, reading, and writing system.
8. Czech
Number of Mentions: 3
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 7.3
Czech belongs to the west wing of the Slavic languages and is most commonly spoken as an official language in the Czech Republic. It closely relates the Slovak and Polish languages in characteristics. A complex grammar system and various noun and verb cases make learning difficult for English speakers and require around 1,100 class hours.
7. Hindi
Number of Mentions: 5
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 6.7
Hindi belongs to the Indo-Aryan group of languages and is most commonly spoken in India and Bangladesh. It ranks 7th on our list with an average ranking of 6.7 across our sources.
6. Thai
Number of Mentions: 4
Hours Required to Learn: 1,100
Average ranking: 6.2
Belonging to the Tai language family, Thai ranks 6th on our list of the top 20 languages with the hardest grammar for English speakers to learn. It is most commonly spoken in Thailand and has various dialects that predominantly differentiate based on the sound systems. The language is difficult to learn due to a complex speaking system that requires different vocals to differentiate similar words.
