Arts and Culture

Which languages are most difficult for English speakers to learn?

Drawings of balloons in different colours and two languages are seen in a classroom of a refugee deportation registry centre in Manching near Ingolstadt, Germany, February 16, 2016. Picture taken on February 16, 2016.  REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean all take at least 88 weeks to learn. Image: REUTERS/Michaela Rehle

Niall McCarthy
Data Journalist, Statista

Some languages are more difficult to learn than others, especially for native English speakers. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the U.S. government's primary training institute for employees in the foreign affairs community and its responsibilities include preparing diplomats and other officials to advance U.S. foreign interests overseas. Taking that into account, language learning is very important in the FSI and it provides courses in over 70 foreign languages.

It has also created a list showing the approximate amount of study time required to become proficient in a range of foreign languages. Published by website Effective Language Learning, the list is split into several categories. Category I is the easiest with languages such as French, Spanish and Italian all requiring approximately 23-24 weeks of study time. Things get more difficult in category IV where Finnish, Polish and Russian all take up to 44 weeks to learn.

Category V is the most difficult for English speakers with Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean all taking at least 88 weeks. Given that this list was formulated by the FSI, it is important to note that some language students or experts may disagree with the ranking.

Image: Statista
Have you read?
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Arts and Culture

Related topics:
Arts and CultureEducation and SkillsIndustries in Depth
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Arts and Culture is affecting economies, industries and global issues
World Economic Forum logo

Forum Stories newsletter

Bringing you weekly curated insights and analysis on the global issues that matter.

Subscribe today

The art of being human: Creativity's role in the 'intelligent age'

Joseph Fowler

December 20, 2024

Can sport empower us to be more sustainable?

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum