The Chinese language has a unique structure and pronunciation system that is vastly different from English. Chinese is made up of tens of thousands of characters, each with its own meaning, and often multiple pronunciations. This makes the language extremely difficult to learn, especially for non-native speakers.
One reason Mandarin is seen as the most challenging language to learn is because its writing system uses characters that might be difficult to grasp for those accustomed to writing with the Latin alphabet, Babbel says.
Japanese is slightly easier to learn. But, Chinese is much more widely spoken. Both languages have their pros and cons. Ultimately whichever language pulls on your heartstrings the most is the winner.
It takes a learner with average aptitude only 15 weeks to reach level 2 for Spanish or French, but about 50 weeks to reach a similar level of the Chinese language. If you want to be fully fluent in Mandarin, you'd better plan to spend about 230 weeks, which is about 4 years.
Generally speaking, we might assert that Korean is easier for an English speaker to learn than Mandarin Chinese. But this is very relative. In fact, the US Foreign Service Institute assigns Mandarin Chinese and Korean the same level of difficulty. Both languages are in “Category Four”.
Japanese. Japanese is the language that English, Spanish, and probably other European native speakers consider as one of the hardest languages to learn. The set of characters, kanji, and kana gives a headache to most of the language learner. Most learners, yes, but no to Chinese learners.
Cantonese – Most Difficult Language Overall
Some people debate whether Cantonese deserves recognition as a language in its own right or a dialect of Chinese. Either way, Cantonese poses plenty of problems for students, even if they already speak Mandarin! But why is Cantonese harder than Mandarin for English speakers?
In summary, the time it takes to learn Mandarin fluently varies depending on the individual learner and their level of dedication. With the help of live lessons with native tutors, you can achieve basic fluency in as little as 6-12 months and full fluency in 2-3 years of consistent study and practice.
You can teach yourself Mandarin, but at the end of the day, language is a tool to communicate and communication is a two way process. Start finding opportunities to speak or write (and when we say write, we mean type) in Chinese.
It takes about 4-7 years (roughly 2200 to 4000 hours) to become fluent in every aspect of the language, if you spend at least an hour and a half to study every day. However, it's quite common for learners to become more fluent in some areas than others depending on how they allotted their study time.
Cantonese is by far the more challenging of the two languages, particularly for a beginning Chinese language learner. This is because there are more tones used in Cantonese (Cantonese uses up to nine tones, whereas Mandarin only uses four).
1. Chinese — 1.3 Billion Native Speakers. Numbers vary widely — Ethnologue puts the number of native speakers at 1.3 billion native speakers, roughly 900 million of whom speak Mandarin — but there's no doubt it's the most spoken language in the world.
A recent French study of the density and speed of 20 languages found Mandarin to be one of the slowest languages examined (in a group including French, English, and Japanese), in terms of syllables spoken per minute.
Japanese is another most difficult language for all those who have grown up learning English, Spanish or French but at the same time might be easy for those who are well-versed in East Asian languages.
While it's good to start as young as possible, there is no age limit. At GoEast Mandarin we have had plenty of students who in their 30s, 40s, or 50s made themselves fluent in Mandarin Chinese within a few years, through hard work & dedication.
Duolingo Chinese definitely has other language-learning programs cornered when it comes to the motivation factor. It offers a fun and simple way to get your learning in each and every day. Having said that, we do not feel like Duolingo Chinese is the best resource for those who are aiming to speak fluently.
Boost your brain power!
Did you know that learning Chinese utilizes areas of the brain that other languages do not? Learning Chinese takes intensive brain power. It's an intense training of the mind that enhances memory and cognition. English speakers use the left temporal lobe but Mandarin speakers use both!
No matter where you are in the world, it is never too late to learn Chinese. While it is true that younger children seemingly more 'effortlessly' than most adults and the elderly, older learners are also able to pick up the language as well.
2500 words are about the minimum amount it takes to be “fluent” in Chinese. This is not as many Mandarin words as a native speaker knows, but it's enough to describe whatever it is you are trying to say.
Whether you're looking for a new academic pursuit, new career skills or a new perspective on life, learning Mandarin Chinese is one of the absolute best investments you can make with your free time.
Sumerian can be considered the first language in the world, according to Mondly. The oldest proof of written Sumerian was found on the Kish tablet in today's Iraq, dating back to approximately 3500 BC.
Relatively, Korean would be an easier language to learn. Thanks to its phonetic alphabet and more simplistic grammar rules, Korean is not the most challenging Asian language to learn. Chinese on the other hand is much more widely spoken. This means that finding study materials and practice partners would be easier.