If you, too, think like Ludwig Wittgenstein, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Perhaps it’s time to start your journey towards learning a new language. While we all have that multilingual friend or colleague who inspires us to speak another language, we often don’t know where to start!
This is where we come in! As a language translation service provider in Australia, we have a pool of multilingual experts who are eager to share their language learning experiences. With that in mind, let’s start with the hardest languages to learn for English speakers, backed by data to help you choose the right path for your journey and set realistic expectations!
For this blog, we are using data from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) scale. FSI uses a language proficiency scale developed by the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR). It ranges from Level 0 (no proficiency) to Level 5 (native-like proficiency). While the FSI is a U.S. institution, its language difficulty rankings are widely referenced globally — including by Australian language educators and learners — as a reliable benchmark for English speakers.
Before diving into the list of difficult and most unknown languages to learn, it’s important to understand why some languages are more challenging to learn than others for English speakers. With a team of over 500 translators and their extensive experience in providing professional Language Translation Services in Australia, we understand that difficulty isn’t random. Therefore, we have curated a few key linguistic factors that determine it.
A common approach for learners in Australia is to choose a language based on its local relevance, for instance, searching for the Best Language to Learn in Australia, such as Mandarin, Arabic, or Vietnamese. While this is a practical starting point, it can unintentionally lead a learner to one of the most difficult languages without understanding the scale of the challenge ahead.
The single most important predictor of difficulty is the concept of linguistic distance. Let’s break this and other key factors down:
Linguistic Distance
This refers to the degree of difference between a language’s family tree and English. The closer the relationship, the more shared vocabulary (cognates) and grammatical similarities you’ll find.
Small Distance: Fellow Germanic languages, such as Dutch and German, or the Romance languages, like French and Spanish, are easier because they share roots with English.
Large Distance: Languages from entirely different families, like Mandarin (Sino-Tibetan), Japanese (Japonic), or Arabic (Afro-Asiatic), have almost no familiar linguistic anchors, meaning nearly everything must be learned from scratch.
The Writing System
Learning a new script is like learning a code before you can even begin to form words. The difficulty here escalates dramatically depending on the type of system.
Different Alphabets: Languages like Russian (Cyrillic alphabet) or Greek require learning new characters, but the one-symbol-equals-one-sound principle is familiar.
Abjads & Syllabic Scripts: Scripts like Arabic primarily represent consonants, forcing the learner to infer the correct vowels from context—a significant hurdle for beginners.
Logographic Systems: The most time-consuming are systems where characters represent whole words or concepts. To be literate in Chinese or use Japanese Kanji, you must memorise thousands of individual characters.
Phonology (The Sound System)
A language’s phonology, or sound system, can be a significant barrier if it contains sounds that don’t exist in Australian English.
Common Hurdles: These include the guttural “ch” sounds in German or Arabic, and the famously rolled “R” in Spanish.
Tonal Languages: In languages like Mandarin or Vietnamese, the word’s meaning changes entirely depending on the pitch (or tone) with which it is said.
Extreme Cases: At the furthest end of the spectrum, the !Xóõ language of Southern Africa uses a vast inventory of “click” consonants that are entirely alien to an English speaker’s ear and tongue.
While not ranked by the FSI or commonly studied in Australia, it’s often cited in linguistic studies as one of the most phonetically complex languages in the world.
Grammatical Complexity
Grammar is the engine of a language, and some engines are far more complex than English. Key challenges include:
Sentence Structure: English uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order (“I see the dog”). Learning an SOV language like Japanese (“I the dog see”) requires a complete rewiring of your sentence-building instincts.
Noun Cases: While modern English has lost its case system (outside of pronouns like “I/me”), languages like Polish, Russian, and Hungarian use complex case systems, where noun endings change based on their role in a sentence.
Grammatical Gender: Nouns in languages like German and French have genders (masculine, feminine, and sometimes neuter) that affect articles and adjectives, adding another layer of rules to memorise, making them the hardest languages for English speakers to learn.
Cultural and Social Conventions
Beyond grammar and vocabulary, mastering a language means understanding its unwritten social rules. This includes understanding the correct level of formality, knowing how to interpret indirect communication, and knowing when to use specific idioms. These conventions are deeply rooted in culture and often represent the final, most challenging barrier to true fluency. For English speakers used to a direct communication style, navigating the politeness levels of Japanese or the high-context cues in Arabic can be a significant hurdle.
For a deeper dive into this topic, read our detailed guide on Language Conventions and their Impact on Communication.
The Data Behind the Difficult Languages to Learn: The FSI Scale
For this guide, we rely on the language difficulty rankings published by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) of the U.S. Department of State. The FSI trains diplomats and government officials, and over the decades, it has compiled data on the approximate time it takes a native English speaker to reach ‘Professional Working Proficiency.’ The languages are grouped into categories, with higher categories requiring significantly more classroom hours.
Category I: ~600-750 hours (e.g., Spanish, French)
Category II & III: ~900 hours (e.g., German, Swahili, Zulu)
Category IV: ~1100 hours (“Hard Languages”)
Category V: ~2200 hours (“Super-hard Languages”)
Here, we will focus on Categories IV and V, which represent the biggest challenge for English speakers.
What Are the Hardest Languages to Learn for English Speakers?
Tier 1: The Super-Hard Languages (Category V – Per FSI Scale)
These are the linguistic mountains. Mastering them is a massive undertaking, often requiring over 2,200 hours of study. They are fundamentally different from English in almost every way.
Mandarin Chinese
One of the oldest language in the world with more than 918 million native speakers, Mandarin Chinese is extremely difficult for English speakers.
A non-alphabetic system with thousands of characters to memorise; a tonal system where a word’s meaning changes with its pitch, making it one of the most complex languages to learn and speak.
As Australia’s #1 trading partner and the most spoken language after English in Australian homes, proficiency is a career superpower here. However, it is difficult to learn as it is one of the hardest languages to learn!
Japanese
Three separate writing systems (Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji characters); complex Japanese grammar with different politeness levels that change how you speak, and it is widely spoken but can easily be considered one of the top 10 hardest languages to learn for us!
A top travel destination for Aussies (especially for snow season!), a major cultural influence, and a critical strategic and economic partner in the region.
While the FSI’s 20th-century data provides a timeless baseline, our 2025 analysis shows that the availability of AI-powered learning apps has slightly reduced the initial hurdle for script-heavy languages like Japanese.
Korean
A completely different sentence structure (Subject-Object-Verb); complex verb endings that depend on the listener’s status; sounds that are tricky for English speakers, but Korean is a prominent Asian language with more than 81 million speakers worldwide.
The “Korean Wave” (Hallyu) of K-pop and K-dramas is a cultural phenomenon in Australia. South Korea is also a top-tier trading partner.
Arabic
A right to left script, not left to right, where vowels often aren’t written; many guttural sounds not found in English; huge differences between formal written Arabic and spoken dialects. All this makes the pronunciation challenging for English speakers.
One of the most significant community languages in Australia, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, and a vital language for global affairs and business with Saudi Arabia. This is also one of the most spoken languages in the world.
Tier 2: The Major Challenge (Category III)
These languages are still considered very difficult, requiring around 1,100 hours of study. They present significant hurdles in grammar, pronunciation, or script.
Note: According to FSI, Indonesian is actually considered a Category II language, meaning it’s relatively easier for English speakers to learn. However, achieving fluency still requires mastering its affix system and contextual language use.
Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
Looks easy at first, but the official language of Indonesia’s complex system of prefixes and suffixes to create word meanings is a major challenge for achieving fluency.
The language of our closest major neighbour and a top holiday spot (Bali). Considered a priority language by DFAT for strategic reasons.
Vietnamese
A tonal language with six distinct tones (more than Mandarin); its grammar and vocabulary are completely unrelated to English.
The Vietnamese-Australian community has had a profound impact on Australian food and culture, making this a very relevant and rewarding language to learn.
Hindi
A different script (Devanagari); nouns have gender (male/female); sentence structure is Subject-Object-Verb.
India is a major strategic partner and one of our most important trading partners. Hindi is also one of the fastest-growing community languages in Australia.
Russian
A new alphabet (Cyrillic); a complex grammatical case system where nouns and adjectives change their endings based on their role in a sentence.
A key language for international politics and science, with a significant Russian-speaking community in Australia.
Thai
It’s a tonal language with five tones and has a unique script with 44 consonants and over 30 vowel forms.
An extremely popular travel destination for Australians and the language of an important economic partner in Southeast Asia.
Greek
A different alphabet; a grammatical case system; and complex verb conjugations.
The Greek-Australian community is one of the largest and most influential in the country, deeply woven into the fabric of cities like Melbourne and Sydney.
Polish
A notoriously difficult case system (seven cases!); clusters of consonants that are very difficult for English speakers to pronounce.
Connects learners to a significant Eastern European community in Australia and the rich history of a major European nation.
Turkish
It’s an “agglutinative” language, meaning it strings together many suffixes to a root word to form a sentence, a concept totally foreign to English speakers.
A language with deep historical resonance for Australia (Gallipoli) and a bridge between Europe and Asia.
Farsi (Persian)
Uses an Arabic-based script (written right-to-left); sentence structure is Subject-Object-Verb.
The language of a significant and growing community in Australia, connecting learners to the ancient cultures of Iran, Afghanistan (Dari), and Tajikistan.
Finnish
Famous for its mind-boggling complexity, with 15 grammatical cases (English has virtually none). Vocabulary is unrelated to almost any other language.
The ultimate linguistic challenge for the hardcore language learner looking for something truly unique and different.
Hungarian
Like Finnish, this European language is an agglutinative language with no relation to its neighbours. It has a staggering 18 grammatical cases and complex rules for vowel harmony.
Offers a deep dive into the unique culture of Central Europe, supported by an established Hungarian community in Australia.
With this, we hope you understand How Many Languages Are Spoken In Australia and why they are so hard for us!
Why Should People Learn Languages?
In today’s globalised world, learning a new language is one of the smartest investments you can make — for your brain, your career, and your ability to connect with people across cultures. And it’s not just a feel-good idea; organisations like the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) have studied how long it takes English speakers to learn different languages, giving us valuable insights into the process. Furthermore, once you read and write a different language other than your mother tongue, a million doors open for you!
It Strengthens Your Brain
According to the FSI, mastering a language can take anywhere from 600 to over 2,200 classroom hours, depending on its complexity. That’s a serious mental workout — and science backs it up. Studies show that language learners improve their memory, multitasking skills, and even delay cognitive aging.
Example: Spanish (Category I) takes about 600–750 hours, while Japanese (Category V) requires roughly 2,200 hours — but both offer brain-boosting benefits along the way.
It Opens Career Doors
Being multilingual sets you apart in a competitive job market. Many government and international positions actually utilise the FSI scale to determine pay grades based on foreign language skills. If you’re aiming for a job in diplomacy, global business, tourism, or tech, language fluency isn’t just useful — it’s lucrative. Furthermore, you can also get an opportunity to work in reputed translation service providing companies. In Australia, NAATI certification is essential for working as a recognised translator or interpreter in official contexts.
Pro Tip: Arabic, Mandarin, and Korean are among the hardest (Category IV/V), but they’re also in high demand globally.
It Deepens Cultural Understanding
Languages aren’t just words — they reflect a culture’s worldview. Learning one gives you insider access to traditions, humour, values, and even the way people think. This helps you become a more empathetic and culturally sensitive communicator.
When you understand a language like Korean or Japanese, you begin to notice nuances in respect, hierarchy, and group harmony that are hard to translate.
It Makes Travel More Rewarding
Knowing just the basics of a language while travelling — such as greetings, food terms, or asking for directions — can completely transform your experience. Locals appreciate the effort, and you’re more likely to find authentic spots, have meaningful conversations, and avoid tourist traps.
Even Category I languages like French or Italian can elevate your European travels.
It Helps You Connect — Truly
Whether it’s bonding with coworkers, chatting with someone online, or understanding foreign films without subtitles, language creates deeper, more human connections. And that’s something machines still can’t fully replicate.
Whether you choose an “easier” language like Dutch (Category I) or dive into a challenging one like Mandarin (Category V), the journey will transform how you think and relate to the world. As the FSI data proves, the difficulty may vary, but the rewards of learning any language are universal.
What Are the Cultural Benefits of Learning the Most Complex Language?
Learning a complex language like Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, or Japanese doesn’t just teach you how to communicate — it immerses you in the worldview behind the words.
- Access to Authentic Media: Watching anime in Japanese or reading poetry in Persian reveals cultural nuances often lost in translation.
- Deeper Understanding of Social Norms: For example, in Korean or Japanese, honorifics reflect respect and hierarchy — learning them gives insight into how those societies function.
- Stronger Global Citizenship: You gain empathy and appreciation for traditions, beliefs, and values that are vastly different from your own.
Cultural fluency and language fluency go hand in hand — especially in high-context cultures where “what’s not said” is just as important as the words themselves.
What Are the Career Benefits of Learning Hardest Languages?
While the hardest languages to learn in the world take more effort, they also offer greater rewards in global job markets:
- High Demand, Low Supply: Fewer people know Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, or Russian, making speakers of these top 10 hardest languages to learn highly sought after.
- Government and Diplomatic Roles: Agencies such as the UN, FBI, and foreign ministries offer salary bonuses or career boosts for Category IV/V language skills (FSI).
- International Business: Multinational companies often require language specialists who understand regional markets and cultures, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.
- Translation & Localisation: Complex languages often require skilled human translators, creating job opportunities in media, law, tech, and medicine.
✅ Hard languages = fewer competitors = more value in your skillset.
Conclusion
Learning a language — especially one considered “hard” — is a journey that challenges your brain, expands your worldview, and sets you apart professionally. While some languages require more time (like Japanese or Arabic), the cultural richness and career benefits they offer are well worth the effort.
Whether you’re driven by curiosity, career, or connection, deciding the toughest languages to learn is a testament to resilience, and it opens doors that most people never walk through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is English the Hardest Language to Learn?
It depends on your native language. For speakers of Mandarin, Arabic, or Japanese, English can be top hardest languages to learn due to:
- Irregular spelling and pronunciation (e.g., “tough” vs “though”)
- Phrasal verbs and idioms
- Word stress and articles (“a,” “an,” “the”)
However, for Germanic or Romance language speakers (such as Germans or Italians), English is relatively easy. FSI classifies English as easier to learn for Europeans but harder for East Asians.
What Is the #1 Easiest Language to Learn?
For native English speakers, the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) lists these as the easiest:
- Spanish: Simple grammar and numerous learning resources make it one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn.
- Norwegian: Very similar structure and vocabulary to English
- Dutch: Shares many cognates with English
- Italian & French: Easy pronunciation, familiar word order, sentence patterns, and Latin alphabet
Spanish is widely considered the easiest due to its global reach and phonetic consistency.
What Are the Top Ten Hardest Languages to Learn in the World?
How Long Does It Take for the World's Hardest Language to Learn?
Can I Learn a Hard Language on My Own?
Should I Avoid Hard Languages if I’m a Beginner?
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