By Number of Speakers:
* English: The most spoken language globally, with over 1.5 billion speakers.
* Mandarin Chinese: The most spoken language by native speakers, with over 1 billion.
* Hindi: The third most spoken language globally, with over 600 million speakers.
* Spanish: The second most spoken language in the Americas, with over 500 million speakers.
* Arabic: The sixth most spoken language globally, with over 400 million speakers.
By Geographic Influence:
* English: Has a huge global presence due to colonialism and its role in business, science, and technology.
* French: Significant in Europe, Africa, and parts of the Americas.
* Portuguese: Predominant in Brazil and other parts of South America, as well as in Portugal and parts of Africa.
* Russian: Dominant in Russia and several former Soviet republics.
* Spanish: Widely spoken in Latin America and parts of the US.
By Internet Usage:
* English: The dominant language on the internet, used in over 55% of websites.
* Chinese: The second most used language online.
* Spanish: The third most used language online.
* German: A significant language online, especially in Europe.
* Japanese: Important for the tech and gaming industries.
By Political and Economic Importance:
* English: A major language in international diplomacy, business, and finance.
* Mandarin Chinese: Rising in importance due to China's economic growth.
* German: Significant in the European Union.
* Japanese: Influential in technology and finance.
* Korean: Growing in importance due to the popularity of Korean culture.
Ultimately, the definition of "main languages" depends on your specific criteria. There are many ways to categorize and rank languages, each with different perspectives.