Learning a new language can be a difficult and rewarding journey at the same time. Languages like Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Russian usually cited as one of the most challenging languages to master. Yet, they broaden your horizons and open doors to rich and unique cultures, new perspectives and generally contribute to self-growth. If you want to learn more about these languages and how to master them stay a bit more in this blog.
Why Are These Languages So Difficult?
Mandarin Chinese
Complex writing system: Every character represents a word which means you need to memorize thousands of characters.
Tonal Language: Meaning of a word can change depending on the tone you use.
Cultural Context: Many words, idioms and phrases require a deep understanding of the Chinese history and culture.
Arabic
Non-Latin Script: The Arabic Script flows from right to left and there are no Latin-origin words.
Phonetics: Arabic’s rich set of consonants, including emphatic sounds, can be challenging for non-native speakers.
Different Dialects: The Arabic-speaking people might not fully understand each other. For example, there is distance between the speakers of Egyptian Arabic and Yemeni Arabic.
Japanese
Three Writing Systems: Japanese uses kanji (borrowed Chinese characters), hiragana, and katakana, each with its own purpose and rules.
Honorifics: Politeness levels in speech make the vocabulary and grammar more complex.
Word Order: The Subject, Object and Verb structure differs significantly from English.
Korean
Hangul System: First, you need to memorize all the Korean consonants and vowels. The grammar is complicated and features honorifics.
Meaning of the Verbs: The meaning depends on the mood, situation and social context.
Vocabulary: Many words have subtle differences in meaning and usage.
Russian
Cyrillic Alphabet: Although, there some common Latin-Origen words the unfamiliar script can be challenging.
Pronunciation: Some words are written and pronounced differently. For example, in the word “гора”, gora (= mountain) the o pronounces as a.
Grammar Complexity: Nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs change form depending on their role in a sentence.
Tips On How to Master These Languages
Set Clear Goals: Remember the reason you started to learn a specific language at the first place and try to motivate yourself with that.
Blend in with the Language: Try to watch movies, series, subscribe on different channels of the target language. Also, try to read some books with simplified vocabulary.
Travel: If it’s possible organize a travel to the country. You will have the opportunity to interact with native speakers and learn about the cultural context.
Practice: Practice the language at least one time a day. Also, to make your practice more entertaining you can use language teaching platforms on YouTube.
Apps: Apps like Duolingo might help you improve your pronunciation. There are specific apps for Japanese, Korean and Chinese like Waygo that will contribute to your learning process. Don’t forget to do a little research before starting!
Extra Tip: Trust yourself though this process and remain patient. Personally, I started learning Russian and it was hard at first, but after a long time I felt super confident about myself for accomplishing something like that.
Conclusion
Starting to learn a new language might seem challenging at first, but hard work always pays off. All the languages and especially the hard ones like Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and Russian offer you access to a wide range of career paths as well as mental growth. They improve your communication and problem-solving skills by cultivating critical thinking. Mostly, don’t forget that languages bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and help them connect with each other.
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