English speakers though might have a hard time learning certain languages. This mainly happens because of vast differences mainly when it comes to grammar. If you would like to challenge yourself by trying the most difficult language to learn for English speakers, or even know which languages shouldn’t be the ones to learn first, here are the top 10 hardest languages in the world to learn for an English speaker.

1. Japanese

Japanese is one of the languages which are made up of different syllables and its own alphabet called Kanji. While you might have been able to catch a few words and phrases through watching your favorite Anime while growing up. You will soon come to find that writing them down is a whole different story which will require a lot of dedication and hours of practice. As well as when you will need translation of documents you'd better find a professional Japanese translation agency to do this for you.

2. Arabic

One of the issues many English speakers come across when learning a new language is pronunciations. Arabic is a language full of soft sounds which will truly become a tongue twister for any English speaker who wishes to learn the language. Along with that, Arabic is even more complex as the words are written from right to left.

3. Pashto

Also known as Pashto, Pashtu and Pashto, this language is spoken in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other neighboring countries. To new learners, Pashto will prove a task to perfect as it is full of grammatical phenomena which will confuse and trouble you for a while.

4. Icelandic

Icelandic is a language known for its archaic vocabulary and complicated grammar. If you have trouble reading and pronouncing really long words, even in your native tongue, this language will definitely seem like the toughest language in the world, as it is full of extremely long words and hard-to-pronounce words.

5. Korean

Similar to the Japanese Kanji, Korean has its own alphabet called Hanja. Apart from the complicated grammar, Korean comes with many unfamiliar sounds which will prove difficult for most learners to pronounce. Also similar to the Japanese, Koreans have many different ways to politely address those around them and this is something an English speaker will have to adjust to while learning the language.

Useful information: Make sure you've chosen the best Korean to English translation service with native linguists who  can provide you with a translation of a high quality. 

 

6. Greek

The expression “It all sounds Greek to me” doesn’t exist without a reason. Greek might just seem like the hardest language in the world to learn for an English speaker as anything from forming sentences to pronouncing words will prove to be quite a task.

7. Mandarin

Even though it is the most widely spoken native language in the world, Mandarin Chinese isn’t so easy to learn for the rest of the world. Not only does it come with a difficult writing system, but it also has four tones which mean that by pronouncing a word differently, you can get a completely different meaning.

Useful information: Get certified Chinese to English translation services done by professionals.

8. Hungarian

This is one of the languages whose grammar is full of different cases. The most shocking part is that it actually sports 35 distinct cases. One of the biggest reasons why you might want to give up on the first few lessons though is because it has so many different vowels and consonants, which will be almost impossible for an English speaker to pronounce early on.

9. Russian

Russian might not be the most difficult language in the world to learn as it is one of the less grammatically complex languages, rocking just six cases. The toughest thing about learning Russian though has to be the Cyrillic alphabet. The way some of the letters are pronounced is really unfamiliar to the average English speaker and can take a while to master.

Useful information: Russian translation services with experts translators for individual and business needs.

10. Cantonese

After Mandarin, Cantonese is a Chinese dialect which can truly confuse you, even if you speak Mandarin. This dialect sports a completely different set of written characters as well as pronunciations and can really be a tough first language for any native English speaker.

 

Which of these languages would you consider learning first?